9 Different Types Of Fire Dreams & What They Could Mean, From An Expert

So, what does it say about you if you're dreaming about things going up in flames? According to professional dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg, fiery dreams have actually been on the rise since the pandemic started. Here's how to interpret your fire dreams based on the specifics, plus how to extinguish them and start snoozing on something else.

Here, Loewenberg walks through a few more specific examples of what your particular fire dream could be telling you.

Interestingly, Loewenberg notes that many women going through perimenopause or menopause will dream that they're on fire—which also probably has something to do with hot flashes. It also relates to the idea of transformation and the symbolic loss of their childbearing years.

She sees this dream type more often in women, though it can certainly apply to men, too. "Stress has built up to the point where the house on fire, and when you reach that stage of stress," she says, "you've gotta do something about it and take as much off your plate as possible."

So, if your town is on fire in a dream, "You want to look at anything that's angering you first," she says. "Look at work, look at your circle of friends, look at family—anything in your immediate world." Ask yourself where the anger is or if something within your life is being destroyed or broken down.

Another instance of a play on words, dreaming that your workplace is on fire could be related to actual firings that are happening at your job, Loewenberg notes. This dream may show up if you're worried about getting fired yourself or if are there a lot of firings going on lately.

In addition to that, a single tree standing alone on fire could indicate some concern about your reproductive life, she adds, again noting the perimenopause and menopause connection.

Loewenberg says dreaming of a fireplace usually represents warmth or something that feels inviting in your real life. If you've just started a new friendship or relationship and you dream of a fireplace, she says, "That represents your good feelings about it."

So if you're lighting a candle in the dream, she suggests looking at what's going on in your spiritual life. With the idea of transformation in mind, as well, it could indicate some change or transformation to your connection with that part of yourself.

Loewenberg says she's heard instances of people dreaming that they've opened something up, such as a cabinet, pantry, or even the wall, to find there's a raging fire inside. "That's about holding in your anger," she says, "or not speaking up about something that's angering you." This is a pretty clear message, she adds, that it's time to let it out—otherwise, it will only burn you up from the inside.

And lastly, if you're dreaming of a fire-breathing dragon, or anything breathing fire, really, Loewenberg says it usually has to do with you or someone around you who's using very angry words. "The fire breath is the anger someone is spouting," she explains.

Once you figure out what could be eliciting your fire dreams, you can start taking steps to prevent them. If you're bottling up your anger, for example, that could look like finding a healthy way to express that anger. Whatever you can do to help yourself feel better about the situation in real life will carry over into your dreams.

Fire can show up in our dreams in so many ways, some perfectly harmless—others, not so much. The key is taking the time to really think about what happened in the dream, how you responded, and what could be causing the dream in the first place. From there, you can take any steps necessary should you want to prevent the dream in the future.