NBC晚间新闻 美国一化工厂严重火灾

Hours after hurricane Laura ripped through Lake Charles, daybreak brought another ominous¹ sight. I-10, don't even come across it. A nearby chemical plant engulfed² in a raging fire visible for miles, creating a balloon of black smoke that until roads were closed. Passing drivers had to navigate³ through and a health hazard for the thousands who live in the area. All under order to shelter in place. They need to be on the inside of their home with their doors and windows closed. And the air conditioning off if they're lucky enough to have electricity. Hazmat emergency crews responded to the inferno⁴ at bio lab in Lake Charles, which manufactures pool supplies.

A statement from the company that owns the facility says the fire was caused by a chlorine gas leak as the hurricane tore through in overnight hours. As this type of chlorine begins to decompose⁵ it generates heat and it began to burn releasing chlorine gas into the atmosphere. No one was working in the plant due to a pre-hurricane shutdown. The CDC warns high exposure to chlorine can be dangerous and lead to serious respiratory illness. Now is not the time to go sightseeing. I'm appealing to everybody in Louisiana don't get out on the road. Lester, we know up to 20 thousand residents live in the area impacted by today's fire and fumes⁶. It's tough to know the exact number still here because many evacuated⁷ ahead of the storm.

在劳拉飓风袭击莱克查尔斯市几个小时后，黎明时又出现了另一个不祥的景象。在10号州际公路，千万别来这里。附近的一家化工厂被大火吞噬，大火绵延数英里，引起一股黑烟，迫使道路关闭。过路的司机不得不开导航穿过，而且这对居住在该地区的成千上万人的健康构成了威胁。他们都要遵照指示躲避在适当的地方。他们需要呆在家里，关好门窗。如果他们足够幸运有电的话，就把空调关掉。危险品急救人员对莱克查尔斯市生物实验室的地狱之火做出了响应，该实验室生产游泳池用品。拥有这家工厂的公司发表声明说，此次火灾是飓风在夜间肆虐时由氯气泄漏引起的。当这种氯开始分解时，它产生热量并开始燃烧，向大气中释放氯气。由于飓风前的停工，当时工厂里没有人在工作。美国疾病控制和预防中心警告说，大量接触氯可能很危险，会导致严重的呼吸系统疾病。现在不是观光的时候。我向路易斯安那州的所有人呼吁，不要前往这里。莱斯特，我们知道有2万居民生活在受今天大火和烟雾影响的地区。现在很难知道仍在这里的确切人数，因为许多人在风暴前已经撤离。

1 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

2 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

4 inferno   

n.火海；地狱般的场所

参考例句：

• Rescue workers fought to get to victims inside the inferno.救援人员奋力营救大火中的受害者。
• The burning building became an inferno.燃烧着的大楼成了地狱般的地方。

5 decompose   

vi.分解；vt.（使）腐败，（使）腐烂

参考例句：

• The eggs began to decompose after a day in the sun.鸡蛋在太阳下放了一天后开始变坏。
• Most animals decompose very quickly after death.大多数动物死后很快腐烂。

6 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

7 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。