Fire in the Hole began as a standard radio command in Counter-Strike, the tactical first-person shooter series first released in 2000. Teammates hear it automatically when a player throws a high-explosive grenade, warning them to clear the area. It sits alongside other instantly recognised callouts from the same system like Enemy Spotted and Bomb Has Been Planted. Clips of the line spread through gameplay videos, soundboards and meme edits, and the phrase is now used far beyond the game as a general warning before any sudden explosion or messy outcome.