13 THE BLAZE

CHAPTER 13 THE BLAZE Dark clouds, distant rumbles, gusting wind. A storm was blowing over the island. The animals needed all the fresh water they could get, but no rain had fallen so far. And then came a blinding flash and a deafening CRACK! A moment later, smoke began rising from the eastern edge of the island. Lightning had struck a tree. Sparks showered down, and the underbrush burst into flames. The poison tide had killed off the coastal vegetation, making it the perfect fuel for a wildfire. If only it had started to rain, the fire might have been extinguished right then and there. But the rain refused to fall. By the time Roz arrived, the fire had grown into a roaring blaze. She ran over to one of the new dams and started tearing it apart. Branches and rocks and mud went flying until the dam broke and pond water flooded toward the fire. Steam shot into the air, but when it cleared, the fire was still burning. Flames quickly spread along the coast, crawling through dead fields and climbing up dead trees.

乌云，远处的隆隆声，狂风。 暴风雨正吹过这个岛。 动物们需要尽可能多的淡水，但到目前为止还没有下雨。 接着是一道眩目的闪光和震耳欲聋的爆裂声！过了一会儿，烟开始从岛的东边升起。 闪电击中了一棵树。 火花纷飞，矮树丛燃起了火焰。 有毒的潮汐杀死了沿海的植被，使其成为野火的完美燃料。 要是开始下雨就好了，火可能当场就被扑灭了。 但是雨就是不下。 当罗兹赶到时，大火已经变成了熊熊烈火。 她跑到其中一座新建的水坝前，开始把它拆掉。 树枝、岩石和泥土四处飞扬，直到大坝决堤，池塘里的水涌向火场。 蒸汽喷向空中，但当它消散时，火还在燃烧。 火焰沿着海岸迅速蔓延，穿过荒地，爬上枯树。

Animals who had fled from the poison tide now hurried back to find their old homes ablaze. Sad voices cried out. Family members embraced each other. A crowd started to form, and Roz directed everyone to the Great Meadow. From there, they watched in horror as a wall of fire encircled the island. Plumes of smoke billowed up to the clouds. Glowing embers whirled away on the breeze. The sharp scent of burning brush filled the air. At last, rain. A drizzle, not a downpour. Very slowly, the blaze diminished. Hours after the wildfire had ignited, the worst was over, but for days afterward, wisps of smoke continued rising from the ashes.

从毒潮中逃出来的动物们现在急忙赶回来，发现他们的老房子着火了。 悲伤的声音在呼喊。家人互相拥抱。 一群人开始聚集起来，罗兹指引大家到大草地去。 从那里，他们惊恐地看到一堵火墙包围了小岛。 滚滚浓烟直冲云霄。 灼热的余烬在微风中旋转着离去。 空气中充满了灌木丛燃烧的刺鼻气味。 终于下雨了。毛毛雨，不是倾盆大雨。 火焰慢慢地熄灭了。 大火燃烧几个小时后，最糟糕的情况过去了，但几天后，缕缕烟雾继续从灰烬中升起。