加拿大史上最恐怖森林大火!阿尔伯塔省数万人全员撤离

AS IT IS 2016-05-06 Thousands Flee Fires in Alberta, Canada 加拿大史上最恐怖森林大火!阿尔伯塔省数万人全员撤离

A raging forest fire in the Canadian province of Alberta forced the evacuation of 88,000 residents this week.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls the damage “absolutely devastating¹.”

Fort McMurray is in the northern part of Alberta, which is a province in western Canada.

The area around Fort McMurray is known for its tar² sands from which oil can be taken. It is the third-largest oil reserve in the world behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

The fire started Sunday and is moving rapidly around the city.

Some people are evacuating³ south towards the large city of Edmonton. Others are going north toward the work camps close to the oil sands.

Residents report 15-foot-high walls of flame. The skies are gray with smoke and soot⁴.

The Associated Press news agency reports that the fire is especially hard to control because Fort McMurray is warmer and drier than usual for this time of year.

About 1,600 homes and other structures have been destroyed or damaged. Hospitals have been closed and evacuated⁶.

The Alberta Emergency Management Agency says the downtown area of the city is safe, so far.

The evacuation has not been easy. Some cars ran out of gas on the road. Some gas stations were damaged by the fire.

Gasoline trucks were called in to help some motorists refuel on the side of the road.

Many of the oil producers that remove oil from the sands say they will slow production during the fire. Some staff have been evacuated.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum⁷ Producers says there is little danger of the oil sands burning as a result of the fire. Much of the oil-rich material is located underground.

Words in This Story

soot – n. a black powder that is formed when something (such as wood or coal) is burned

evacuate⁵ – v. to remove (someone) from a dangerous place

devastate⁸ – v. to destroy much or most of (something) : to cause great damage or harm to (something)

raging – adj. very wild and violent

1 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

2 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

3 evacuating   

撤离，疏散( evacuate的现在分词 )； 排空（胃肠），排泄（粪便）； （从危险的地方）撤出，搬出，撤空

参考例句：

• The solution is degassed by alternately freezing, evacuating and thawing. 通过交替的冻结、抽空和溶化来使溶液除气。
• Are we evacuating these potential targets? 能够在这些目标地域内进行疏散吗？

4 soot   

n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟

参考例句：

• Soot is the product of the imperfect combustion of fuel.煤烟是燃料不完全燃烧的产物。
• The chimney was choked with soot.烟囱被煤灰堵塞了。

5 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

6 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

7 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

8 devastate   

v.使荒芜，破坏，压倒

参考例句：

• A few days before,a fire had devastated large parts of Windsor Castle.几天前，温莎城堡的大部分被一场大火烧毁。
• Earthquakes can also cause tsunamis,which devastate coastal regions.地震还引发海啸，它直接破坏海岸地区。