To catch fire or be consumed by flames; destruction by fire (especially of a large building).
倉庫が深夜に炎上して多くの物資が失われた。
The warehouse caught fire late at night and many supplies were lost.
旧市街の数棟が炎上し、消防が消火に追われた。
Several buildings in the old quarter went up in flames, and firefighters were busy extinguishing them.
工場が爆発して炎上した。
The factory exploded and went up in flames.
(Colloquial) To provoke a storm of criticism online; to become the target of intense backlash on social media or the internet.
不適切な発言が原因で彼のツイートが炎上した。
His tweet sparked a backlash because of an inappropriate remark.
企業の対応が遅れたことで公式アカウントが炎上した。
Because the company's response was slow, its official account was flooded with criticism.
些細なミスでもツイッターでは炎上に発展することがある。
Even a small mistake can escalate into an online firestorm on Twitter.