"a pillar of fire" is correct and usable in written English
You can use it to describe a column of flame, usually seen in stories as a symbol of divine power. For example, "Moses saw a pillar of fire leading the Hebrews through the desert during their exodus from Egypt."
He comes in various guises – a pillar of fire, a cherub with wings, a horned demon, and even human form – but always exhibits the same disregard for others.
Cameras on the ground captured the moment the unmanned crew capsule blasted free of the rocket booster and streaked ahead on a pillar of fire.
The local boyos scalded the devil with holy water and he shot through the roof on a pillar of fire, vowing to return one day.
Eastern time, the spacecraft rose slowly on a pillar of fire, picking up speed and eventually disappearing from view as it stabbed through a layer of clouds on its way to orbit.
Burning thousands of litres of rocket fuel every second and blasting superheated gas into the water-filled trench beneath the pad, the engines will kick up the vast gouts of steam and smoke that characterise a rocket launch.Atlantis will rise on a pillar of fire, slowly at first but then faster and faster.
Shiva Purana describes the lingam as a pillar of fire without knowable extremities.
Statues come to life, monsters turn to flowers, a palace rises out of the floor, the queen of hearts walks off an outsized playing card and vanishes in a pillar of orange fire.
A few seconds later, a huge pillar of fire shot out of Burke's cargo hold, followed by an immense cloud of white smoke.
The space shuttle Atlantis, commanded by Scott D. Altman, a retired Navy captain, bolted through the sky on a pillar of smoke and fire just after 2 p.m.
The space shuttle Atlantis, commanded by Scott D. Altman, bolted through the sky on a pillar of smoke and fire just after 2 p.m. Monday.
They've just spent forty years hearing the Torah directly from Moses, with God visibly present in the classroom as a pillar of cloud and fire!
