burnt down
Reduced to ash
Burnt down describes a structure destroyed by fire, reduced to ruins or ashes: The old factory burnt down years ago.
The phrase can be transitive—someone burns down a building—or intransitive, describing spontaneous or accidental destruction.
Burnt down and burned down are interchangeable, with burnt more common in British English.
Intense sorrow from loss
- lossBeing without something
- displacementRemoval from usual location
- homelessnessLacking permanent residence
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
suffering · heartache · anguish · sorrow · despair · victim · survivor · evacuation
Decayed structural remains
- debrisScattered broken fragments
- ashesBurned matter's residue
- charredBurned until black
- wreckageDestroyed remains of something
rubble · shell · husk · remains · collapse · smoldering · gutted · razed
Constructing anew after destruction
- reconstructionRebuilding after destruction
- restorationReturning something to condition
- insurance claimDemand for policy payment
- permitsGrants formal authorization
contractors · foundation · starting over · resilience · community support · donations · fundraiser · temporary housing
Criminal deliberate burning
- accelerantCombustion-intensifying substance
- suspiciousInclined to distrust
- deliberateConsciously chosen, not accidental
- criminalPerson who breaks laws
insurance fraud · evidence · origin · cause · electrical · faulty wiring · cigarette · candle
Thing preserving remembrance
- tributeOffering of respect
- anniversaryRecurring memorial date
- legacyWhat's passed down
- commemorationAct of honoring memory
plaque · marker · site · history · documentation · photographs · before · testimony
grief
Intense sorrow from loss
- lossBeing without something
- displacementRemoval from usual location
- homelessnessLacking permanent residence
shock · suffering · heartache · anguish · sorrow · despair · victim · survivor · evacuation · emergency
ruins
Decayed structural remains
wreckage · rubble · shell · husk · remains · collapse · smoldering · gutted · razed · leveled
rebuilding
Constructing anew after destruction
- reconstructionRebuilding after destruction
- restorationReturning something to condition
- insurance claimDemand for policy payment
permits · contractors · foundation · starting over · resilience · community support · donations · fundraiser · temporary housing · salvage
arson
Criminal deliberate burning
- accelerantCombustion-intensifying substance
- suspiciousInclined to distrust
- deliberateConsciously chosen, not accidental
criminal · insurance fraud · evidence · origin · cause · electrical · faulty wiring · cigarette · candle · investigator
memorial
Thing preserving remembrance
- tributeOffering of respect
- anniversaryRecurring memorial date
- legacyWhat's passed down
commemoration · plaque · marker · site · history · documentation · photographs · before · testimony · witness