Can you tell me why did the police call the Vermissa Valley fires like a **** in Scene 1?

The fire was roaring and everything was covered in darkness..... mid-day. The smoke and ash rubbed out the sun.

“I guess hell must look something like that,” said a voice. McMurdo turned and saw that one of the policemen had shifted in his seat and was staring out into the fiery waste. “For that matter,” said the other policeman, “I allow that hell must be something like that. If there are worse devils down yonder than some we could name, it’s more than I’d expect. I guess you are new to this part, young man?” “Well, what if I am?”