I was awakened by the cries of “Fire! Fire!”In the middle of the night of last Monday. Alarmed, I rushed to the window. I could hardly believe what I saw when I looked out.
Thick smoke was billowing out of a seventh storey flat in the block just opposite to ours. The smoke appeared be from a fire somewhere inside the flat. I woke my father up and we both got ready to go to the flat on fire and see how w could help.
While we were dressing, we heard fire engines rushing to the scene. When we reached it, firefighters were already in action, using huge hoses to douse the fire in the flat. As I watched, several thoughts crossed my mind. How did the fire start? How long has it been burning? Are there people trapped in the fire? If so, how many are there? Soon, my questions were partly answered. I saw two firefighters rescuing people from inside the flat. One by one, the family members, six in all, were taken down a ladder, from a bedroom window.
All those rescued suffered no injuries. However, they were panic stricken. They must have feared for their lives in the burning flat. One of the family members, an old lady, could not take the ordeal. She fell unconscious and was quickly taken to the hospital.
The rest of the family could only wait in horror as a big crowd gathered around them. My father and I joined several people in giving the family words of comfort and encouragement.
As the fire fighters were busy trying to control the fire, residents in some of the neighboring flats were already taking precautionary action. They were removing valuables from their flat in case the fire spread to the flats. Fortunately, this did not happen.
Vocabulary
Alarmed—anxious
Billowing—rising
Dousing—putting out
Ordeal—an unpleasant experience
