Wiktionary
vb. (context idiomatic English) Become engulfed with flames.
WordNet
v. start to burn or burst into flames; "Marsh gases ignited suddenly"; "The oily rags combusted spontaneously" [syn: erupt, ignite, take fire, combust, conflagrate]
Usage examples of "catch fire".
Nobody was looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures much in this weather, though as Ron said, the skrewts would probably warm them up nicely, either by chasing them, or blasting off so forcefully that Hagrid's cabin would catch fire.
She felt the fragment catch fire and hastily scraped it off her hands onto the hearthstone.
In Venice I only had to worry about learning and not wearing anything that would catch fire.
In six days at the most, perhaps at dawn tomorrow, the sky will catch fire, the atmosphere will all but completely burn away and the earth itself will burn.
Only a couple of merrow had yet to catch fire, and they ran in panicked circles below dripping ratlines and falling sails ripe with flame.