go up in flames

Idioms  

1. Also, go up in smoke. Be utterly destroyed, as in This project will go up in flames if the designer quits, or All our work is going up in smoke. This idiom transfers a fire to other kinds of destruction. [Early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

The Chungs moved in a decade ago to Wang Cheong House – the first of the seven tower blocks at Tai Po to go up in flames.

From BBC

"He and all of his followers are going to go up in flames and be translated instantly, and then come back with him leading God's avenging army."

From Salon

Residents were advised to decrease exposure and spend time indoors, though those in the thick of it could also be in danger from other chemicals as communities go up in flames.

From Fox News

“I watched a neighbor’s house go up in flames. So it touches all of us,” Thom said at a news conference.

From Seattle Times

Another is a bandit lord whose dream of creating a perfect refuge in a lakeside village will go up in flames.

From New York Times