“谢天谢地，我们还活着！”
连日来，美国西海岸地区山火持续蔓延，大火已造成至少33人死亡，其中俄勒冈州10人，加利福尼亚州22人，华盛顿州至少1人。当地官员预计死亡人数会持续增加，因为还有多人下落不明。
在俄勒冈州，已有至少4万人紧急撤离。格雷沙姆市数十户家庭被迫流离失所，房车和搭在停车场的帐篷成了临时的安身之处。居民乔伊感叹道：“谢天谢地，我们还活着。我们在一起。”
南加州火势同样严峻。阿卡迪亚市于13日上午发布了疏散令，要求该市部分地区的民众紧急撤离。
当地已发布低气湿和强风预警，这些气象因素可能会使火势进一步加剧，使得防控工作更加紧迫。俄勒冈州南部到北加州多地均已发布火灾红旗警报，警报一直持续到14日晚。
An evacuation order was issued Sunday morning for residents in parts of the City of Arcadia in Southern California, U.S., as a massive wildfire is burning closer to the populated communities.
At least 40,000 people have been evacuated as wildfires rage out of control in Oregon in the U.S. In the city of Gresham, dozens of families forced to flee their homes have slept in travel trailers or tents in a parking lot. "I am just thankful that we're alive. We're together," said Joy from Aims.
Warnings of low moisture and strong winds that could fan the flames added urgency to the battle. The so-called red flag warnings stretched from hard-hit southern Oregon to Northern California and extended through Monday evening.
Reports indicate that at least 33 people have been killed in the wildfires raging from California to Washington state.
The historic blazes have killed 10 people in Oregon, 22 in California, and at least one person in Washington state. Officials said the death toll is likely to rise since there are more people unaccounted for in the fires.
和乔伊相比，77岁的加州居民米丽森则没有那么幸运。她本已准备好带着自己的宠物猫狗开车离开，但眼看风力似乎有所减弱，火线退到安全距离以外，便改变了主意。
不料大火突然改变了走向，迅速席卷而来，她没来得及逃走，最终死于火灾。
Millicent Catarancuic, 77, was among those killed in the blazes after she changed her mind on whether to leave her home in Berry Creek, California.
She had prepared to evacuate with her dogs and cats before changing her mind as the winds seemed to die down and fire appeared to be a safe distance away. But then the blazes changed direction, quickly reaching her property before she could escape them.
持续肆虐的山火致使空气质量严重下降。
位于加州的南海岸空气质量管理区（SCAQMD）更新的一份地图显示，在刚刚过去的周末，该地区的空气质量对儿童、老人，以及呼吸系统疾病或心脏病患者等敏感人群而言，处于中度到不健康级别。在山火附近区域，空气质量已达“不健康”级别。
A map updated by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) showed air quality in the region during the past weekend is expected to range from moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups, such as children, elderly, and people with respiratory or heart disease.
In some areas near the wildfire scenes, the air quality is forecast as "unhealthy" level.
此外，邻国加拿大也受到了山火的影响。13日，温哥华笼罩在一片浓烟中。加拿大环境部近日发布了一份温哥华空气质量特别声明。声明表示，华盛顿州和俄勒冈州的山火烟尘对健康构成严重威胁。
Smoke from U.S. wildfires blanketed Vancouver on Saturday. Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement for Vancouver, showing a very high risk to health due to wildfire smoke from Washington and Oregon.
专家警告称，山火产生的烟尘严重影响空气质量，增加了人们感染新冠的风险。
据美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）12日报道，南加利福尼亚大学医学中心首席医疗官布拉德·斯佩尔伯格表示，有多项研究表明，空气污染指数和新冠病毒传播的难易程度存在关联。肺组织暴露在污染环境中时，更容易感染新冠病毒。
洛杉矶西奈医院传染病专家雷卡·穆尔西称，山火产生的烟尘会刺激肺部，引发炎症，进而影响免疫系统，使肺部更易受到感染。
As deadly blazes burned along the U.S.' West Coast, obliterating towns and displacing tens of thousands of people, some experts warn that bad air quality from the wildfire smoke increases the risk of people getting infected with the coronavirus.
"Multiple studies have shown a correlation between higher levels of pollution in the air and greater spread and severity of COVID-19 cases," said Dr. Brad Spellberg, chief medical officer of the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, to CNN on Saturday.
He explained that lung tissue exposure to pollution may increase susceptibility to viral infections.
Smoke from wildfires can irritate the lungs and cause inflammation, which affects the immune system and makes them more susceptible to infection, said Dr. Rekha Murthy, an infectious disease specialist and vice president of medical affairs at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
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