The fate of those who persistently do wrong often unfolds as an inescapable cycle of destruction, where slipping away from one danger leads directly into a much heavier disaster. God directing His anger at the people serves a specific purpose: to prove His commitment to delivering a just and measured response to their actions [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד].
The imagery of escaping a fire only to be consumed by another operates on several levels. The primary approach among commentators views this cycle through a historical and political lens. The Israelites managed to survive the burning threat of earlier conquests, such as when the King of Assyria destroyed other nations and ruined Samaria. Yet, this escape is only temporary. A new, devastating fire is approaching in the form of Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, who will bring complete ruin upon them [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ, רד"ק].
Beyond the historical events, a spiritual reading draws a symbolic link between the people's choices and their ultimate downfall. In this view, the initial fire represents the Torah, which was originally given out of fire. Because the nation sinned by abandoning its teachings, their punishment comes in a matching form: fierce and aggressive foreign nations, striking with the intensity of fire, will rise up to destroy them [רש"י, רד"ק].
On an even deeper level, this struggle is understood as an internal battle within the human mind. Two opposing forces—the drive to do good and the drive to do evil—are both compared to fire. The fire of the Torah serves as the ultimate protection against the pull of doing wrong; even engaging with it for less than perfect reasons helps to weaken negative urges. However, when people walk away completely, leaving the protective fire of the Torah behind, they strip away their only defense. Left entirely exposed, the destructive fire of their own evil urges and impure forces takes control, pushing them into severe wrongs and ultimately bringing about harsh consequences [חומת אנך].