The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 13 letter word CONFLAGRATION
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
O
N
F
L
A
G
R
A
T
I
O
N
More clues leading to the result CONFLAGRATION
- Fire Tory with standard quota
- Convict, female prisoner, helping to cause a raging fire
- Languish on allotment, learn to start fire
- Burning Tory Union Jack quota?
- Conspicuous consumption from Tory on standard allowance?
- Firefighter stops two prisoners helping
- Against Jack helping holocaust
- Highlight issue after scam being the result of arson
- Fire cheat over decline on budget
- Prisoner’s put by standard allowance, resulting in flare-up
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "holocaust" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case holocaust = conflagration.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does CONFLAGRATION mean?
CONFLAGRATION noun- A large fire extending to many objects, or over a large space; a general burning.
- A large-scale conflict.