Shadowing Practice: LA fires still raging as National Guard and curfews deployed against looters | BBC News - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
C2
Firefighters are still battling to contain the wildfires which have been raging across Los Angeles for four days.
175 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Firefighters are still battling to contain the wildfires which have been raging across Los Angeles for four days.
2
Forecasters say that more high winds are expected,
3
which could stoke an already perilous situation.
4
President Biden has said the city reminds him of a war scene.
5
Ten people are now known to have died and around 10,000 homes and buildings have been destroyed.
6
A nighttime curfew has been put in place in the worst affected areas to prevent abandoned homes from being looted.
7
There are five fires still burning and any progress in containing them is very limited.
8
You can see on this map the biggest fire,
9
Palisades, which was completely out of control yesterday, is now 8% contained.
10
Eton Fire in the Altadena neighbourhood is just 3% contained.
11
Well, we'll hear from our correspondent in Altadena in just a moment.
12
But first, Emma Vardy, who is on the Pacific Coast Highway for us now.
13
Emma.
14
Well today firefighters have made progress in some areas
15
but new fires are still breaking out
16
and as the Palisades fire continues to rage above us local volunteers are trying to help.
17
A fourth grueling day holding the line in the face of LA's inferno as tens of thousands of acres continue to burn.
18
All right you guys on radio we'll meet you up at TCC.
19
Some communities have have taken the disaster response into their own hands.
20
Love you, bro.
21
Into Pangaea Canyon, with fires burning all around,
22
a group of locals calling themselves the Heat Hawks have sprung into action.
23
Initially, everyone felt a bit abandoned.
24
But I understand why.
25
We have a very tight community that's very connected.
26
And so the local knowledge is really essential.
27
Well, these guys are just taking a look around the neighborhood see
28
if they can see any spot fires
29
or just anything they can help with using whatever resources they can get their hands on water supplies, fire extinguishers.
30
The emergency services are just so stretched that people like this want to do what they can.
31
We don't and we didn't have any left anyway.
32
But there's more coming, check for the library.
33
Despite an evacuation order, here some residents are staying as long as they can to try to protect properties.
34
There's just not enough people,
35
not enough crews, you don't know enough people.
36
I think, what I think, I think they're underbanned.
37
I think the budgets have been cut.
38
Around 10,000 buildings have been destroyed across the city.
39
But every now and then,
40
by some miracle, one has been spared.
41
There's been anger at city leaders over the fire response.
42
Now pledges are being made that LA will rebuild.
43
With so many homes and businesses lost,
44
we are already putting plans in place to make make sure that we aggressively rebuild.
45
I don't believe that there is anything that Angelenos cannot do if we stand together.
46
The risk of crime poses a new threat.
47
Security has been stepped up in abandoned neighborhoods and curfews are now being enforced.
48
You cannot be in these affected areas.
49
If you are, you are subject to arrest.
50
That is important.
51
We're not doing this to inconvenience anybody.
52
We're doing it to protect the structures,
53
the houses that people have left because we ordered them to leave
54
and I want them to feel confident that we are doing everything we can to secure that.
55
Along the Pacific Coast Highway is the exclusive LA suburb of Malibu.
56
This once embodied the Californian dream,
57
home to some of the most expensive real estate in America.
58
Now ashes.
59
At least 10 people have now died and it's warned the death toll is expected to increase.
60
Despite days of hard work,
61
it's up here in the hills where the fires are still raging
62
and with the winds picking up once again there's real fears about its spread.
63
and they're facing an uphill battle to try to contain it.
64
With a red flag warning for strong winds at the weekend,
65
it's now a race to try to limit the danger.
66
Well, most of the fires have been burning for days.
67
Have a look at this one street in Altadena where the Eton Fire is burning.
68
This is Fair Oaks Avenue.
69
This is what it looks like now after those flames tore through the neighbourhood.
70
And that's what Fair Oaks Avenue looked like before.
71
House after house, street after street, it's all gone.
72
Almost nothing left of these homes.
73
Early estimates suggest the total damage caused could amount to as much as £122 billion.
74
Well, our correspondent John Sudworth joins us now from Fair Oaks Avenue.
75
John.
76
Well, as thousands of firefighters continue that battle to get this crisis under control,
77
this is what it leaves in its wake.
78
The suburb of Altadena sits at the foot of a mountain range,
79
over which the unusually strong winds for this time of year,
80
the Santa Ana winds they call them,
81
poured in on Tuesday night,
82
and it's that that really lies at the heart of this disaster.
83
It's almost impossible to give a sense of the true scale.
84
So many stories, so many tragedies.
85
We spent a few hours with the residents of one block of this one neighbourhood.
86
Los Angeles is a city in shock.
87
Thousands of people coming to terms with the once unimaginable.
88
Right around there are my diamond earrings.
89
Pete Mitchell, an electrician at Disneyland,
90
and his wife Angela have lived here for over 10 years.
91
Oh my God, Ang, it survived.
92
Your little elephant box from Thailand.
93
This was their home before the fire.
94
Altadena was a pleasant Los Angeles suburb,
95
a middle-class district to far cry from the mansions and celebrity lifestyles on the other side of the city.
96
It's devastating, of course.
97
We saw images of it before our neighbours had come in here before
98
but it's also you know the opportunity to rebuild
99
which is a hard road
100
but it can be done i think we will do it i hope we're rebuilding here um
101
and i hope that we'll have these what we can find
102
that can be memories of the good times we had in
103
this home it was a good It was a really good home.
104
Around them, fire crews are still patrolling the area, putting out spot fires.
105
This is a city in deep crisis,
106
with the emergency services stretched to the limit and lives totally upended.
107
OK.
108
Just a few doors away,
109
another family surveying the damage.
110
This was Stephanie's home for more than four decades.
111
But she says she's now focused on the future.
112
We're very fortunate that we were able to get out in town.
113
Everybody is safe and we do plan to rebuild bigger and better.
114
So we're grateful.
115
We're praying for everybody because this is just devastating.
116
Altadena is one of the number one places to live.
117
It's friendly, family-oriented.
118
It's just a wonderful community.
119
A block away, this house had recently seen new tenants move in.
120
It would have been the middle bin of the closet, her wedding ring.
121
Tavia Weinman and her family are now picking through the wreckage,
122
salvaging the few keepsakes to have survived the intense heat.
123
It's like overwhelming right now.
124
Because it's like decades and decades of,
125
you know, building things and it's all gone.
126
These are scenes repeated across huge swathes of this city and with the emergency far from over.
127
John Sudworth, BBC News, Altadena.
128
Let's go back now to our correspondent Emma Vardy.
129
And Emma, you spoke at the end of your report about fears that the situation might get worse before it gets better.
130
Well there's now 3,000 firefighters battling that Palisades fire above us but Rita they're stretched,
131
they're fatigued and the fear is that with those winds picking up
132
that any progress that's been made it can be reversed very quickly
133
and down here of course we're under no illusions as to what the consequences are
134
when the fire starts spreading once again and moves incredibly fast.
135
These buildings want luxury beachfront properties.
136
They're still smouldering, but gradually people have started to come down here themselves to look at the damage.
137
But now there is this curfew in place from 6pm at
138
night until 6pm in the morning to try to prevent looting while this crisis continues.
139
Emma, thank you very much.
140
Emma Vardy there reporting from the Pacific Coast Highway.
141
While powerful winds and parched ground after months of no rain,
142
a deadly combination which has allowed the California fires to spread.
143
Today it was confirmed that last year was the hottest ever recorded.
144
Temperatures were 1.6 degrees higher than the pre-industrial average.
145
European scientists have warned
146
that the target of 1.5 degrees agreed in Paris 10 years
147
ago to avoid the worst effects of global warming is in danger of being permanently breached.
148
Here's our climate editor Justin Rowlat.
149
LA in flames.
150
It is like a vision from a dystopian sci-fi movie,
151
but it is happening right now and it is exactly the kind of event climate scientists have been warning about for years.
152
And remember this, the devastating floods in Spain caused by exceptionally heavy rain in October.
153
Or this, the historic drought in the Amazon basin,
154
which reduced river levels to a 120-year low.
155
Before the Industrial Revolution, so between 1850 and 1900,
156
average global temperatures were about 13.5 degrees Celsius.
157
Now take a look at this.
158
Each line shows average daily air temperatures for every year since 1940.
159
The redder the colour, the hotter the temperature.
160
And just look how relentless the temperature rise has been with last year,
161
2024, the hottest year ever recorded.
162
And look at this.
163
It was also the first calendar year in which average temperatures exceeded 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
164
Experts say it represents a new climate era for our species.
165
We're living in a climate that humanity hasn't experienced before.
166
We can say with confidence when we look at ice core records,
167
when we look at other data sets,
168
that this is the warmest period for at least the last 100,000 years or so.
169
And when we look back at the ice core records,
170
it's the highest concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere for the last 800,000 years or so.
171
This year should be a bit cooler than the last two,
172
say scientists, but 2025 is still expected to be one of the hottest years on record.
173
And that shows why, as the fires in LA continue,
174
we should all be worried by the way our world is warming.
175
Justin Rowlat, BBC News.
Download App
AI scoring for every sentence you speak
TRENDING
Popular
Context & Background
The transcript from the video "LA fires still raging as National Guard and curfews deployed against looters" shares a crucial update on the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. It highlights the efforts of local firefighters, the struggles of the community, and the measures taken to maintain order during this crisis. The seriousness of the situation is underscored by the loss of lives and homes, while the increasing involvement of local volunteers demonstrates a strong community response. This context offers rich material for learners looking to enhance their English speaking skills, especially in understanding disaster response and community dynamics.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “Firefighters are still battling to contain the wildfires…” - Useful for discussing ongoing efforts in any context.
- “A nighttime curfew has been put in place…” - A practical phrase when talking about safety measures or restrictions.
- “Some communities have taken the disaster response into their own hands.” - Great for discussing community initiatives or volunteer efforts.
- “There’s just not enough people, not enough crews…” - Can be applied in conversations about shortages or resource management.
- “We are already putting plans in place…” - A proactive phrase useful in any planning discussion.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
Utilizing videos like this one is an effective way to learn English with YouTube. To maximize your understanding and speaking abilities, follow this step-by-step shadowing guide:
- Watch the video once: Focus on the overall message without trying to understand every word.
- Listen and read: Follow along with the subtitles when available. This helps in recognizing the rhythm and intonation used during speech.
- Pick key phrases: Choose some of the top phrases listed above to practice. Repeat them aloud, paying attention to pronunciation and stress.
- Shadow: Use a shadowing app or simply pause the video, repeat after the speaker, and mimic their tone and pace. Start with short segments and gradually increase the length.
- Record yourself: Listening to your own pronunciation compared to the original speaker can highlight areas where improvement is needed for your IELTS speaking practice.
- Engage with others: Find a language partner to practice these phrases in conversations about current events, enhancing your English speaking practice.
By incorporating these steps, you can effectively improve your spoken English and gain confidence in discussing complex topics, such as community responses during emergencies.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
☕ Buy us a coffee
ShadowingEnglish remains 100% free thanks to your support. Server and AI costs are high — your coffee keeps us going! 🙏