PBS高端访谈:伦敦公寓大火已造成严重伤亡
时间：2017-07-24 03:02:29
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And now to the day's other major story. It is in London, where a fast-moving fire engulfed1 a high-rise apartment building. It killed at least 12 people and injured scores.
We have a report from Dan Rivers of Independent Television News, and with a warning: Some of the images and sounds may be disturbing.
With
horrifying2 ferocity, the fire consumed Grenfell Tower in minutes, a 24-floor
inferno3 from which there was no escape for some.
Trapped by smoke and flames, residents signaled their
plight4 from on high as the building
disintegrated5 around them.
On this mobile phone footage, the cries for help are chilling.
Help! Help! We saw people looking out of the windows, screaming help, screaming, help, help, flashing their lights and everything.
And now all those windows, people are gone,
literally6 gone.
I saw one person trying to jump out. One actually jumped out, and obviously what happened. It's just a nightmare.
The streets around Grenfell Tower were soon full of those who escaped its flames, children among those suffering from the
acrid7 fumes8.
An
exhausted9 little girl is cradled as the shock and bewilderment sink in. Many here have lost everything.
Some are still unsure what's happened to neighbors, friends, loved ones.
And, above them, the fire raged on. As the sky lightened, the flames continued to
devour10 the building.
This was the view from the SOUTH BANK, the
plume11 of smoke visible for 20 miles. With daylight, stories of extraordinary escape started to emerge.
A lady appeared at the window, gesturing, body language, from what she was saying, I'm about to throw my baby, please catch the baby.
And the baby, I think, was wrapped in some sort of bed sheet, blanket. And she threw the baby.
As the baby came down — and this was about approximately from the ninth or 10th floor — a member of the public, a gentleman ran forward and
miraculously12 grabbed the baby.
And, like I said, above you, from the left, from the right, mostly kids, it was harrowing, torturing screams for help, young kids.
And I think also, where the fire was now spread, people were reaching out from the front window, trying to grasp a bit of fresh air, trying to breathe in like they were struggling.
And there were, at one point, one window about four or five heads all squeezing their heads through. It was honestly like a horror movie.
Some had knotted sheets together in an attempt to escape. But even this left them several floors short of safety.
People were jumping off buildings. People were screaming, saying, help me, help me, help me.
The cause of the fire is unknown, but one resident claims it spread from her neighbor's flat, possibly a faulty appliance.
The fire started from the kitchen, but I don't know exactly — from which problem, I don't know. But it was from the kitchen, because the flat door was open.
It's already clear the death
toll13 will be significant. Up to 600 people lived in Grenfell House in 120 flats.
For those who were on the very upper floors, the
odds14 of survival seem slim.
Those fighting the fire confirmed today how challenging it's been to extinguish.
This was an
unprecedented15 fire in terms of scale, speed, and spread. And just to
reiterate16 that point, the incident continues to be a challenging incident for us.
There is
speculation17 a gap behind a recently added external cladding may have created a chimney effect, allowing the flames to spread.
Some had to wait all night before they escaped. This man was still calling for help six hours after the fire started.
At times, he disappeared into clouds of smoke, but, incredibly, he did finally make it out, one of 65 rescued from Grenfell Tower today.
Tonight, while most of the flames have been put out, the
charred18 shell of the tower block continues to
smolder19.
It may be days before the final death toll is known, and much longer before the cause of this tragedy is
pinpointed20.
Prime Minister Theresa May promised a full
investigation21, and the British government ordered safety checks at other high-rises undergoing renovations. undefined
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