Crosswords w/ Kate

Driving Kate home, I took a little shortcut that helps me to avoid waiting for on coming traffic so I could make a left turn. Kate asks me "what's that"? That could be a building, a person, any number of cars that I'm waiting to pass. Here's her description:

"You know that thing, with fire on it, and suck it in, and you die."

I thought, and thought, and thought. Then I realized this was the description I gave her a few weeks ago when she asked me.


Here's a hint: It's a 9 letter word that is the major cause for lung cancer.