Starfires is a plural noun, referring to multiple celestial objects moving in the sky. While the pronunciation of the word may suggest a spelling of "starphires", the actual spelling follows English phonetics more closely. The "f" sound in the middle of the word is spelled with an "f", as opposed to a "ph" as in "phone". The "i" in the middle syllable is pronounced as "eye". The final "s" is a regular plural marker. Thus, the IPA transcription of "starfires" is /ˈstɑːrfʌɪəz/.
The word "starfires" does not have a specific etymology. This could be because it is a relatively rare or uncommon word, or it could be a combination of two common words "star" and "fires". In such cases, the meaning or origin of the word is derived directly from the meanings of its individual components.