Definition of "firestorm" []

• A fire of great size and intensity that generates and is fed by strong inrushing winds from all sides: the firestorm that leveled Hiroshima after the atomic blast. (noun)
• An intense or violent response: "The discovery that your child has a learning disorder can set off a firestorm of emotions” ( Judith Harkness Richardson). (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Without a doubt the most annoying aspect of this firestorm is the way that it validates a criticism that Atrios makes of the media all the time."
• "At the same time, Cain showed some staying power in the face of what he termed a "firestorm.""
• "In an effort to deal with what he called a "firestorm," Cameron announced a judicial inquiry last week into the media, its behavior, and its links with the police and politicians."