Fundamentalists who interpret the Bible literally also interpret Hell as a literal place of fire and punishment wherefrom the idea of hell fire arrives. However, a literal interpretation of the Bible is problematic because the Bible uses different words for hell (Tartarus, Hades, Gehanna) that all have different meanings.

Opposite it seem much more likely that hell has a symbolic meaning. Pope John II defined hell as a state of being for those people who use their free will to "separate themselves from God" and this interpretation of hell is also supported by people who die and have so-called “hellish experiences” in their near death experiences. 

Rather than a physical punishment the research of near death experiences reveal that these experiences happen through distressing mind states such as fear and guilt. Because being in the otherworldly dimension is a very powerful sensation, what people describe as 50 – 1000 times stronger than here on earth, turning these negative mind states inward can be a very painful experience that metaphorically equals burning in a fire.