Idiom meaning, usage examples, facts

1. Judy had planned carefully and put in a lot of time building her career. Then she made one foolish mistake, and saw all her hard work go up in smoke
2. The family managed to escape from the burning house. As they stood outside in the cold, they watched their house go up in smoke.

The expression suggests the idea of being burned. It is usually used figuratively to describe work (opt.1) or plans (opt.3) but it can be used literally (opt.2).