VOA慢速英语--闪电与风：西海岸的火灾变得如此严重的原因

Lightning and Wind: How the West Coast Fires Got So Bad

The lightning began in the skies over Northern and Central California one weekend in mid-August. It landed on grassy¹ areas and vineyards.

The U.S. National Weather Service warned that the dry lightning hitting dry land "could lead to new wildfire."

It turned out to be a much bigger problem than expected.

Thousands of lightning bolts caused hundreds of fires in California and at least one in Oregon. They led to some of the most destructive² wildfires that the West Coast has seen in modern times.

One month later, firefighters are still battling them. At least 35 people have died in California, Oregon and Washington.

The wildfires have taken away people's "sense of security," said Oregon Department of Forestry³ spokesman⁴ Jim Gersbach. "These (fires) burned so close to populated areas, driven by this wind — basically unstoppable," he added.

The huge wildfires started a debate over whether climate change or a lack of good forest management was the bigger problem this time. Several studies have found that a warming planet increases the chances of extreme events – and increases their severity. But many experts have also argued that thinning forests and reducing the amount of dead leaves and other dry plant materials will give fire less fuel.

Before the series of lightning strikes, the West Coast's fire season had been a little more severe than normal. In Oregon, officials had decided⁵ not to let the fires grow. They ordered even small fires to be covered quickly by aircraft. That way, large groups of firefighters would not be needed. The plan was meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Gersbach told The Associated Press.

But then came the weekend of August 15 and 16.

The National Weather Service reported that it had been an "insane⁶ 12 hours across the Bay Area" of San Francisco. During that period, lightning struck all around San Francisco's famous Bay Bridge.

But that was just the first part of it.

The second part came three weeks later, when another strange weather event happened.

A very large high-pressure area developed all the way from Alaska to the desert in the Southwest. It brought summer snow to places like Denver, Colorado. It also pushed warm, dry wind toward the Pacific coast, said Greg Jones. He is a professor and climate science researcher at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon. Normally, the winds in early September go in the opposite direction, he noted⁷.

Those strong winds pushed the fires through trees and brush that had been drying out all summer. The winds caused the fires to explode in size. The fires quickly moved into towns and rural homes. Many locals could only flee with the clothes on their backs.

Jones called the weather conditions "likely a once in a generation event."

For the first time ever, five so-called megafires were burning at the same time in Oregon. A megafire is one that covers at least 405 square kilometers.

Smoke covered the West Coast states, creating some of the most dangerous air quality in the world. Seattle's famous Space Needle building was mostly hidden by brown air particles. The smoke reached all the way across the United States and even into parts of Europe.

Large groups of firefighters arrived, walking through blackened lands toward the flames. National Guard troops joined the effort. Even local residents tried to save homes by breaking firelines by hand and using digging and clearing trucks.

Local resident Kerry Kuenzi got together with several other people to fight a huge fire in Scotts Mills, Oregon. He told The Oregonian newspaper that people have to come together in times like these because "it's like a war" out there.

The Beachie Creek⁹ Fire he fought covered less than two square kilometers on September 7. But high winds and extremely dry plant material on the ground made the fire grow quickly. By the next day, it had spread across 530 square kilometers, fire officials said.

New fires continued to start in California and Oregon. Burned lands and destroyed remains¹⁰ of mobile homes and other buildings could be seen everywhere.

The flames were so intense that firefighters sometimes had to stop their work. "You cannot really stand there with a hose⁸" when you have 48 kilometer-an-hour winds and dry fuels, Gersbach said.

Firefighters from across the U.S. and Canada have hurried to the area to help fight the blazes¹¹. As of September 22, there were close to 19,000 firefighters in California fighting more than 27 major wildfires. Also as of September 22, close to 8,500 firefighters were fighting 23 large wildfires in Oregon and Washington.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says that more than 1.2 million hectares have burned this year in the state — more than ever before. In Oregon, about 400,000 hectares have burned since the start of this year.

Residents are hoping for rain to wash away the wildfire smoke. In Oregon, rains over much of the state late last week helped battle wildfires but did not put them out. Northern California remains dry though calming winds and lower temperatures — caused in part by the smoke blocking the sun — have helped firefighters. Small amounts of rain are predicted for far northern California and the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Words in This Story

vineyard - n. a field where grapes are grown

bolt - n. a bright line of light that appears in the sky during a storm

management - n. the act or skill of controlling and making decisions about a business, department or something else

Bay Area - n. an area in Northern California including the city of San Francisco and surrounding counties

brush - n. wood from small branches on a tree

flame - n. a state of burning brightly

resident - n. someone who lives in a particular place

mobile - adj. able to be moved

hose – n. a long, usually rubber tube that liquids or gases can flow through

1 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

2 destructive   

adj.破坏（性）的，毁灭（性）的

参考例句：

• In the end,it will be destructive of our whole society.它最终会毁灭我们整个社会。
• It is the most destructive storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的一次风暴。

3 forestry   

n.森林学；林业

参考例句：

• At present, the Chinese forestry is being at a significant transforming period. 当前, 我国的林业正处于一个重大的转折时期。
• Anhua is one of the key forestry counties in Hunan province. 安化县是湖南省重点林区县之一。

4 spokesman   

n.发言人，代言人

参考例句：

• The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
• They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 insane   

adj.蠢极的，荒唐的，精神错乱的，疯狂的

参考例句：

• Insane people are sometimes dangerous.精神病人有时非常危险。
• The letter made her insane with jealousy.那封信使她妒忌得发疯。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 hose   

n.输水软管，长统袜；vt.浇园子，用管冲洗

参考例句：

• Connect the hose to the tap and turn on the tap.把水管接在龙头上，打开水龙头。
• After raining,I always hose the yard out.雨后，我总是用软管把院子冲干净。

9 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 blazes   

地狱； 火焰( blaze的名词复数 )； 光辉； 迸发； （光或色彩等的）展现

参考例句：

• Tom's new motorbike goes like blazes. 汤姆的新摩托车疾驶如飞。
• Scientists have correlated the rampant blazes with wamer temperatures and earlier snowmelt. 科学家们把这些猖獗的大火同天气变暖以及融雪时间提前联系在一起。