set fire to
verb1
To cause (something) to be on fire; to set (something) alight.
- They set fire to the house.
- A freight train became completely derailed, blocking the tunnel entrance, and six of the wagons rolled down the mountainside, demolishing and setting fire on their way to a guard house, in which three soldiers were killed.1941 October, “Notes and News: A Serious Swiss Derailment”, in Railway Magazine, page 469:
2
Figuratively To destroy or dismantle (something).
- As soon as the new CEO arrived, he started setting fire to the old way of doing things.
3
Figuratively To stir up intense emotion or action in (something).
- All it took was one word to set fire to the crowd.