山火中的逆行者

文/蒋登科 译/何武 康德

Forest Fire Rescue on Jinyun Mountains in Chongqing on August 25th, 2022 Photo/Long Fan2022年8月25日，重庆北碚缙云山，救援力量对山火进行扑救。 摄影/龙帆

August 21, 2022, because of high temperatures a wildfire erupted in Hutou Moutain, a section of Jinyun Mountain, near the town of Xiema in Beibei district, Chongqing. The fire epicenter was located in the outer reaches of Jinyun National Nature Reserve, with steep slopes and thick vegetation, the firefight was hard and the situation was urgent. Everyone participated in their own way in the fight against the fire; among them were fire brigades, PLA soldiers, armed police, volunteers and other locals.

2022年8月21日晚，因为连晴高温，重庆市北碚区歇马街道虎头山突发山火，情况危急。虎头山属于缙云山国家级自然保护区的外围山地，山高林茂，地势陡峭，灭火难度很大。消防人员、军人、武警官兵、志愿者、普通市民通过各种方式积极参与到灭火战斗中。

Guard our Jinyun Mountain保卫缙云山

Here is Hutou Mountain, a section of Jinyun Mountain.

At the edge of the city, Hutou Moutain sends down cool breezes and a satisfying green presence.

Hutou is a vernal haven for the locals of Beibei, a place for hikers on the weekend.

From an unknown source the sparks jumped, setting the parched forest on fire.

The flames reached so high, the smoke swirled so wide, the fire shocked the Beibei and Chongqing, and everyone there who loves the mountain.

The burbling flaming fire, like a knife, stabbed everyone’s heart.

Those are trees, having been there for decades or centuries,watching over generations of us Beibei people, embedded with our childhood happiness, sending us cool shade and fresh air! But now,they are being burnt after a long scorching drought.

In every WeChat group I heard calling, crying, recruiting. this was the only voice: Guard our mountain! Guard our green! Guard our common homeland!

这里是虎头山，是缙云山的一段。

虎头山耸立在都市的边缘，送来清凉山风，送来满目翠绿。

虎头山是北碚人春天的乐园，周末的登高休闲之地。

高温中的火星不知来自何方，在干燥的山林里燃起了熊熊大火。

火焰很高，浓烟滚滚，震惊了北碚，震惊了重庆，震惊了每一个热爱山水的人。

哔哔啵啵燃烧的山火，如尖刀刺痛了每个人的心。

那里是树啊，长了几十年、几百年的树，长了几代人的树，装载着童年欢笑的树，带给我们绿荫和清新的树，在高温下已经被烤得枯黄的树，怎能经得起大火的焚烧。

在众多的微信群里，我听到了奔走相告，听到了哭泣的声音，见到了集结令，只有一个声音：保卫缙云山，保卫绿色，保卫我们的家园!

The Heroes Confronting the Fire烈火雄心

All around the fire burns, burning the withered twigs and leaves.Jumping from the ground to the tree tops, from trees to trees, and from one ridge to another ridge. It was a robber, a bandit, it was at last a ball of fire rolling in the woods, which must be contained, with extinguishers, spades, sickles, or even bodies of flesh.

The fierce flames scorched the people who approached them,turning their complexions from yellow to red, and then as black as coal, producing blisters on their hands and feet, chapping their lips,hoarsening their voices and smoking their throats.

we had to fight with it through the night, with teams of fighter working in alternation.

At the rest spots I saw professional firemen, Armed Police officers, PLA soldiers, and uniformed volunteers, some are still young kids, their youth evident in their face. Their clothes were colorless,their faces full of smoke and dust.

They laid flat down on the roadside, against the trees, or beside the trucks.... They were exhausted!

Though horizontal on the ground, they were like columns holding up an arch. On their lips I could see smiles, perhaps a dream about their parents, wives or children, or maybe the good news of extinguishing the fire.

The volunteers had prepared everything: Washing water, drinking water, instant noodles, Huoxiang Water, liquid disinfectant, and adhesive bandage... When they woke up, they would become vigorous fighters once again!

身旁是熊熊烈火，它焚烧着枯枝、落叶，从地面到树梢，从一棵树到另一棵树，从一片山到另一片山。它像劫匪，像歹徒，更像是落进山林的火球，人们要阻止它的蔓延，用灭火器、铁铲、镰刀，还有血肉之躯。

凶猛的烈火炙烤着每一个靠近它的人，从黄皮肤变成红皮肤，再变成黑皮肤，手上烤出了水泡，脚上磨出了水泡，嘴唇干出了裂纹，连声音都是嘶哑的，喉咙里满是烟气的印痕。

人们昼夜和它战斗。一批批退下来，一批批跟着冲上去。

在每一个临时休息点，我见到了消防战士、武警官兵、解放军战士，还有穿着马甲的志愿者，有些甚至是满脸稚嫩的孩子。他们的衣服已看不清颜色，他们的脸上全是烟尘。

他们都躺下了，靠在路边，靠在树上，靠在车旁……他们太累了，身心俱疲!

他们躺着的样子，也像是顶天伫立。他们的嘴角偶尔泛起微笑，肯定是梦见了爸爸妈妈，或者爱人孩子，也可能是大火扑灭的消息!

志愿者备好了洗脸水、矿泉水、方便面、藿香正气液、消毒液、创可贴……等他们站起来，又是一群铮铮的汉子!

The Army of Motorcyclists摩托大军

It was just with a message from a WeChat group: “Motorcycles wanted to carry firefighters and things.”

The motorcycles had assembled at the mountain foot, they came from all directions, five, ten, hundreds ....

I’ve never seen so big an army of motorcyclists, never seen so many brands of motorbikes, and never seen a text message with such an impact.

The road was 40 to 50 degrees slanted, narrow, full of z-turns,and newly opened just for the fire fighting. The motorcycles rushed in a chain, up and down, to and fro, their roars echoing across the mountain, covering the sound of the fire.

The thunderous noise from the motorcycles was majestic music,seizing the attentions of all the people and reminded them: The motorcyclists are rushing to the battle field, not of swords, but of fire;they know the hazards they are facing, but they keep running towards them!

With bags on the back, or bamboo baskets, they carried chainsaws, extinguishers, drinking water, hatchets, or spades.... any thing needed for firefighting. Stumbling couldn’t stop them from going on, and tiredness could be driven off with splashing water on the head.The motorbikes to and fro, the dusty air along the trail, we couldn’t see a clear figure of the cyclists. But their eyes are so clear, ceaselessly searching for their next ride.

只是在微信群里传出了一条消息：需要摩托车运输人员和物资。

四面八方的摩托车就汇聚到山下的集结地，五辆、十辆、几百辆……

我从来没有见过这么浩大的摩托车队伍，从来没有见到过这么多摩托车品牌，从来没有见过一条信息有这么大的威力。

这是四五十度的山道，这是弯多路窄的山道，这是刚刚开挖出来的便道，摩托车一辆接着一辆，上山、下山，轰鸣声响彻山野，甚至压住了烈火爆燃的声音。

山路上的轰鸣声，像一支雄壮的乐曲，吸引着山上山下的目光，敲击着每个人的耳膜。他们是在奔赴战场啊，不是刀山，是火海，他们知道前方就是危险，但他们没有退缩。

背上是背篓，是背袋，装着战场上急需的油锯、灭火器、矿泉水、砍刀、铁铲……摔倒了，爬起来继续；疲倦了，用凉水浇一下头；来来往往的摩托车，扬起的尘土，遮住了他们的身影，沉积头上、脸上、身上，我们甚至看不清他们的样子，只有他们的眼睛是明亮的，寻找着需要再次完成的任务。

The Fire Control Meridian隔离带

That is a deep scar in the beautiful Jinyun Mountain!

From the foot to the top of the mountain, and over the mountain’s big ridge, it extends to the end of the forest.

I saw the big trees fallen down, the younger ones broken, I saw the color of mud, and the color of the earth.

The people who cut the trees and the people who dug the road,they are also full of sadness, for they are turning big patches of green into a wasteland.

They were fighting sadly against themselves! they had to break the ground，to stop the fire from spreading.

Shift by shift, day and night, they pushed through the forest,digging, cutting, with excavators and hatchets.

Along the over-50-degree slopes, in the thick forest, an opening 20 meters or more wide was formed after the rage and roar of excavators.

This is the fire control meridian, a great wall against the wildfire!

这是美丽缙云山的一道深深的伤痕!

从山脚到山顶，再翻过山脊，延伸到没有树木的地方!

我看见大树被伐倒了，看见小树被挖断了；我看见了泥土的颜色，看见了大地的颜色。

砍树的人，开路的人，他们也心痛啊，一片片翠绿变成了满是尘土的荒道。

他们是在用毅力战胜自己!他们必须挖开一条路，隔断烈火的炙烤!

轮流上岗，昼夜坚守，挖掘机和砍刀，一起战斗在这片土地上，从山脚爬升到山顶。

五六十度的山坡，密密生长的森林，在挖掘机的轰鸣中，变成了一条几十米宽的通道。

这是隔离带，是阻断山火的防护墙!

The WeChat Group微信群

The message on the Hutou fire, like a bomb, stirred the whole group.

Trivial matters were forgotten, quarrels disappeared. The only concern was the fire and what we can do for it.

Messages from the front kept rushing in, what is in urgent need,where the fighting has advanced....

In this virtual world, I saw real praxis. The people who owned a motorbike joined the army of couriers, the people with strong limbs joined the force to extinguish the fire, and many more others were raising necessities: Chainsaws, bottled water, extinguishers, Ten Drops Medicine, fire masks, headlights.... in short time，carloads of supplies were sent to the front. And the fund-raisers, they received sums and sums of donations, from tens to hundreds, from thousands to tens of thousands, all becoming supplies for the fighters.

In WeChat Moments posts, I saw many of my friends, colleagues and students, many are from Southwest University. Some looked shabby, some were sweaty, some were panting, and some exhausted,but you can read the same words in their eyes: Perseverance,devotions, and ardent love.... you can come across a different profile of the teachers outside of the classroom.

What a WeChat group it was! With the name of Xuefu，it is filled with knowledge, warmth, care, earnestness and devotions....

虎头山发生山火的消息有如一颗炸弹，在小区微信群里激起了所有人的关注。

东家长西家短的信息没有了，争执没有了，有的只是对山火的关切，只是力量的聚集。

灭火前线的信息不断传来，物资、人员的需求信息不断传来，灭火进度的消息不断传来……

在这个虚拟的世界里，我却见到了现实中的行动。有摩托车的人直接去了前线搬运物资，身强体壮的人到了火场扑打山火或者开挖隔离带，更多的人在募集物资：油锯、矿泉水、灭火器、十滴水、消防面罩、头灯……短短的时间就装满了一车又一车。有人发起了募捐，五十、一百、二百、五百，凑起来就是一万、三万、五万……滴水成河，为灭火的人们送去清凉和慰藉。

我在视频、照片里见到了朋友、同事、学生，见到了西南大学的众多熟悉的身影。他们或衣衫不整，或汗流浃背，或气喘吁吁，或疲惫不堪，但我从他们的眸子里读到了坚毅，读到了奉献，读到了热爱，读到了离开讲台之后的另一种形象……

这是多好的微信群啊，它的名字叫“学府”，满是温暖，满是关爱，满是热心，满是奉献……

Showing my Gratitude致以敬意

From over the head came the helicopters’ howling, on their repeated journey, carrying water to douse the fire. With blue sky as background, the circling propellers gave dazzling brillianc...

Our school published a message, informing of a requisition and asking for our support and understanding: The fire helicopters will park at our sport fields and get refueled on campus. They don’t need to be so polite, our answer is the unanimous “Yes, please!” We were all happy and excited, as we were encouraged and gained confidence:With helicopters, we are certain to win the fight!

In the dim dusk，The floodlights on the sport field are not bright,but I walked around it for a while. I saw the helicopters at the field’s center, taking a short rest after the long days work. I couldn’t see the color of the machines, except for the half-visible propellers glittering in the far light.

I knew there were no people in the machines, but I still cast my eyes upon them, showing my gratitude to the machines and their heroic pilots! Tomorrow morning they would fly up again!

头顶响起了直升机的声音，挂着吊桶，一趟一趟地从水源地飞往灭火现场。在蓝天的映衬之下，旋转的机翼反射出耀眼的光芒......

学校曾发布消息，为了协助扑灭山火，两个运动场将作为直升机的临时加油站和停机坪，希望师生理解和支持!这也太客气了，我听到的是西南大学的师生一致支持的声音!我听到了他们兴奋、激动，听到了他们的信心和勇气：飞机参与，胜利在望!

黄昏时分，运动场里的灯光并不明亮，但我还是围着它转了一圈，我见到劳累之后的直升机静静地停在运动场的中央，甚至看不清什么颜色，只是高悬的机翼在远处灯光的映照下若隐若现。

我知道，此时飞机上没有人，但我依然默默注视，向飞机和驾驶飞机的人们，致以我的敬意! 明天早上，它们和他们还将飞向火场！