0:00

Now. Come the clean and

0:02

the questions after any norm

0:04

as bridge collapsed in Baltimore

0:07

Hi there everyone. I'm Jeff

0:09

and this is plain English

0:11

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every week. To days.

0:42

Story: I'm not sure if

0:44

this made international headlines or

0:46

not, but this was a

0:49

big deal in. The

0:51

Us: an enormous

0:53

bridge carrying an

0:55

Interstate highway fell.

0:57

Into a river early in

0:59

the morning on March twenty

1:02

sixth. This. Happened after

1:04

a container ship struck

1:06

one of the peers

1:08

supporting the bridge. Today.

1:11

I'll tell you what happened and

1:13

what comes next. In.

1:15

The second half of the lesson,

1:18

I'll show you how to use

1:20

the English phrase or verb Fire

1:22

Up. Now. Before we

1:24

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1:27

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now we're ready to start today's story.

2:48

Early in the morning on March

2:50

26th, the Dali, a

2:53

container ship, left the

2:55

port of Baltimore. Baltimore

2:59

is an industrial city in

3:01

the state of Maryland, just

3:04

north of Washington, D.C. The

3:08

Dali is a new

3:10

Panamax ship. That

3:12

means it's one of

3:14

the biggest ships that can

3:16

cross the Panama Canal since

3:19

the canal's expansion last

3:21

decade. The

3:23

Dali was headed for Colombo,

3:26

the capital of Sri Lanka.

3:29

The journey was to take 27 days.

3:34

There were 22 crew members

3:36

on board, plus

3:38

two pilots. The

3:42

pilots are local workers who steer

3:44

massive ships in and

3:46

out of ports. They

3:49

know the ports better than the

3:51

ship captains do, so

3:54

they take over steering when

3:56

large ships enter and

3:59

leave the port. As

4:02

the Dali was navigating out

4:04

of the port of Baltimore,

4:07

the ship completely lost power.

4:10

That means its engine, mechanicals,

4:15

and lighting, they were all

4:17

dead. It was the

4:19

middle of the night. Everything

4:22

was pitch black. Without

4:25

power, the crew could not

4:27

steer the ship, and

4:30

the Dali veered off course.

4:33

In the darkness, amid

4:35

the confusion, one

4:37

thing was clear. The

4:40

ship was on a collision

4:42

course with a massive bridge,

4:45

the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

4:50

This was a 2.6 kilometer

4:53

long bridge that opened in

4:56

1977. Francis

5:00

Scott Key was a

5:02

poet who wrote the

5:04

lyrics to the American

5:06

National Anthem. The

5:09

Key Bridge carried multiple

5:11

lanes of highway traffic,

5:14

and it was supported by

5:16

several concrete columns fixed

5:19

to the bed of the

5:22

Patapsco River. The

5:24

columns are called piers, and

5:27

there was enough space between

5:30

the piers for

5:32

large ships to pass. But

5:35

the Dali had lost its steering,

5:38

and the ship was headed

5:41

straight for one of those

5:43

piers. The

5:45

crew scrambled to avoid

5:47

an accident. They

5:50

dropped an anchor to slow

5:52

the ship's progress. They

5:55

steered the rudder hard to

5:58

one side. They

6:00

worked to fire up an

6:03

emergency generator on board,

6:06

but nothing worked on time.

6:09

A collision was

6:12

inevitable. Just

6:15

minutes before impact, the

6:17

crew sent an emergency

6:19

May Day message to

6:21

the port. The

6:23

bridge was in danger. Miraculously,

6:27

the state's Department

6:30

of Transportation was

6:32

able to stop vehicle traffic

6:34

on the bridge, so

6:37

there were no cars and

6:39

trucks passing overhead. The

6:42

rest you can watch

6:44

on video. The

6:47

ship hit one of the

6:49

bridge's support columns at 1.28 a.m. It

6:54

was traveling at eight knots,

6:57

or about 15 kilometers

6:59

per hour. In

7:02

a matter of seconds, the

7:05

main span of the bridge fell

7:07

into the water. A

7:10

large steel section crashed

7:13

onto the ship's bow.

7:16

The collapse took 20 seconds.

7:20

At the time of impact, a

7:23

construction crew was working on

7:25

the bridge, filling potholes.

7:29

Eight men were on that

7:31

crew. Two of

7:33

them were rescued alive from

7:35

the water. Two

7:38

bodies were found inside

7:40

a truck at the bottom

7:42

of the river. The

7:44

other four were presumed

7:47

dead. The

7:50

ship was stuck in

7:52

place for days afterward,

7:55

trapped in between sections of

7:57

the fallen bridge. Many

8:01

of its three thousand

8:03

containers were mangled from

8:05

the weight of the debris that

8:07

fell on them. Others

8:10

had been tossed into the

8:12

water. The

8:15

bridge was left in pieces,

8:18

just wreckage in the river.

8:21

You could see entire

8:23

sections sticking up diagonally

8:25

above the water, but

8:28

it was worse below the

8:30

surface, where about 80 to

8:33

90 percent

8:35

of material had come to

8:37

rest. One

8:40

Coast Guard official said it was

8:42

a tangled mess of material

8:45

down there. Cleanup

8:48

crews began to cut the

8:50

bridge up into smaller

8:53

pieces and haul

8:55

each piece off one

8:57

by one. One

8:59

of the biggest cranes in the

9:02

world was brought in to help.

9:06

All operations at the port

9:08

were suspended in the days

9:10

after the closure. The

9:14

following week, a narrow

9:16

lane through the harbor

9:18

was opened for commercially

9:21

essential ships. The

9:24

task force managing the cleanup

9:26

hopes to gradually open

9:29

wider lanes as

9:31

the disaster area is cleared.

9:35

The bridge collapse will

9:37

have a significant economic

9:39

impact on Baltimore and

9:42

the companies that operate there. The

9:46

Port of Baltimore is the

9:48

ninth busiest port in the

9:50

United States. It

9:52

is a big part of the

9:55

regional economy. Almost

9:57

All shipping had to be. Diverted

10:00

to other ports in

10:02

the region. To

10:04

New York and New Jersey

10:07

to the North. And.

10:10

To Virginia, Georgia and

10:12

Florida to the south.

10:15

Those. Ports have additional

10:18

capacity. And. They can

10:20

handle additional shipments while

10:23

Baltimore is closed, But.

10:26

The problem is more

10:28

complex than simply diverting

10:30

ships. Containers.

10:33

Are flexible. Those.

10:35

Can easily go to

10:38

other ports. But.

10:40

Baltimore handles more cars

10:42

and trucks than any

10:44

other port in the

10:46

United States. Those.

10:49

Are harder to divert. Since.

10:52

Not every port can

10:54

handle see a coal

10:56

imports. Baltimore.

10:59

Also handles specialized

11:01

raw materials. The

11:04

biggest sugar refinery in

11:06

the Western Hemisphere is

11:08

located right next to

11:11

the Port of Baltimore.

11:14

Domino. Sugar takes rock

11:16

cane sugar. Off

11:19

imported ships. And

11:21

refine said into various

11:23

products. For. Consumption in

11:26

the Us. And

11:28

elsewhere. Those.

11:30

Operations will be

11:32

significantly disrupted by

11:34

the ports closer.

11:38

And then there's traffic.

11:41

The bridge carried an

11:43

Interstate highway that formed

11:45

part of the Beltway.

11:48

Or. The highway loop

11:50

around Baltimore. About.

11:53

Thirty thousand vehicles crossed

11:55

the bridge every day.

11:58

They'll. Now have to. The

12:00

rerouted through tunnels or

12:02

other roads in the

12:04

region. That will

12:07

cost commuters. People.

12:09

Going about their business, And

12:11

of course, shipping in the area.

12:15

It will put more traffic

12:17

on a nearby section of

12:20

Interstate Ninety Five. Already.

12:22

One of the most heavily traveled

12:25

in the country. I

12:27

heard one reporter describe it

12:29

this way. He said

12:32

Baltimore use to have a

12:34

belt way loop around the

12:36

city. Now. It

12:39

just has a letter see.

12:49

This. Wasn't. A famous

12:51

spreads. This wasn't. A

12:54

landmark bridge. But. It

12:56

was big. It was begun

12:59

famous in Baltimore. A

13:01

big. Bridge over a River. This

13:03

is one of those things that's

13:05

just part of the background of

13:08

life. A bridge falling

13:10

into the water. Me: just don't

13:12

think about that. And then

13:14

it happens and you can watch it. There.

13:17

Was security camera footage and

13:19

this enormous bridge fell down

13:22

in a matter of seconds

13:24

piece by piece. It

13:26

was like watching the twin towers

13:28

again. You don't think something like

13:31

this can happen and then it

13:33

happens and it only takes a

13:35

few seconds. All

13:43

I've got a great phrases

13:45

verb for you today. Fire

13:48

Up. To. Fire

13:50

something up his to

13:52

start something like a

13:54

machine. We. Often but

13:56

not always, use it

13:58

to describes. Starting something

14:01

that is powered by

14:03

combustion? Buy fuel by

14:06

fire. You

14:08

can fire up and engine.

14:11

You. Would use this when

14:13

describing race car drivers:

14:15

Formula One or Nascar.

14:18

When. The drivers are getting ready.

14:21

They. Fire up their

14:23

engines. They. Ignite the

14:26

engines. And. The car

14:28

is ready to go. You.

14:31

Would use this when

14:33

describing the engines on

14:35

a spacecraft. The. Engineers

14:38

fire up the rockets

14:40

engines in the minutes

14:43

before takeoff. You.

14:45

Can even use fire up

14:47

to describe starting the engines.

14:50

Have a normal airplane. Know.

14:53

There are situations where you

14:55

would use fire up. And.

14:58

There are certain situations where

15:00

you would note. So.

15:02

You can fire up the

15:05

engines of a race car.

15:07

But. You would typically not

15:10

fire up the engine of

15:12

a normal car in your

15:15

driveway. You. Would just

15:17

start the car. You

15:20

can fire up a chainsaw

15:22

if you need to cut

15:25

apart a falling tree. But.

15:27

You would not typically

15:29

say fire up a

15:32

lawnmower. A

15:34

generator is a backed

15:36

up source of power,

15:38

usually electricity, It

15:41

runs on fuel. Gasoline.

15:44

Hospitals have generators see

15:46

need power every moment

15:49

of the day. So.

15:51

Is the electricity goes out.

15:54

The. Fire up the generators.

15:57

They. Start the generators

15:59

usual. The within seconds

16:01

at some places even

16:04

faster. A.

16:06

Big Ocean ship

16:08

has backup generators.

16:11

And the Darlene. The. Ship

16:13

said hit the Francis Scott

16:15

Key Bridge in Baltimore. The.

16:18

Dali had a generator.

16:21

The ship lost power as

16:23

it was navigating out of

16:26

the Port of Baltimore. The.

16:29

Ship was headed for one

16:31

of the pillars that supported

16:34

the bridge. In.

16:36

The moments before impact,

16:38

the ship's crew fired

16:40

up a generator. But.

16:43

It was too late. They.

16:45

Fired up the generator.

16:47

That means they started

16:49

the generator. But. It

16:52

was still to leads

16:54

to avoid the accident.

16:57

You. Can also use fire

16:59

up with a grill. It's.

17:02

Time to fire up the

17:04

grill. This is a really

17:07

common phrase. You. Can

17:09

fire up a charcoal grill.

17:12

Or. A gas grill doesn't

17:14

matter the act of lighting.

17:16

And starting the grill

17:18

his firing up. The

17:21

grill. So.

17:23

These are all examples

17:26

of actual of fire,

17:28

actual combustion. But.

17:30

Sometimes you use

17:33

fire up with

17:35

non combustible things.

17:38

You. Can fire up a computer

17:40

is you turned it on.

17:44

What time do you start

17:46

work in the morning? I

17:48

usually fire up the computer

17:50

around seven thirty or eight

17:52

o'clock. I. Usually turn

17:55

my computer on. And

17:57

about that time. You.

18:00

Can in some

18:02

cases use fire

18:04

up with software

18:06

or programs running

18:08

on your computer.

18:11

But. You would not use this

18:13

with programs you use all

18:15

the time. You'd.

18:17

Use this if you wanted

18:20

to start a program for

18:22

a specific purpose. So.

18:24

Let's say you took a lot

18:27

of photos. And now you need

18:29

to edit them. You. Might

18:31

fire up Photo shop

18:33

to edit those photos.

18:36

That. Works because perhaps Photo

18:38

Shop is not a program

18:41

that always open and running.

18:44

On. Your computer. But. This

18:46

is a less common. It's

18:48

much more com and

18:50

to use fire up

18:52

with combustible things like

18:54

the grill or a

18:56

generator. Or

19:00

that brings us to the

19:02

end of Plain English today.

19:04

I hope you learned a

19:07

lot And remember if you

19:09

want to continue learning with

19:11

plain English after you finish

19:14

listening said remember we have

19:16

quizzes and exercises to help

19:18

you build your skills. The

19:20

exercises are right on the

19:23

same page as the transcript.

19:25

It's in a section called

19:27

Activities and with each story.

19:30

We have a quiz,

19:32

a list sitting exercise,

19:35

a pronunciation exercise, a

19:37

vocabulary exercise, and to

19:39

fill in the flank

19:41

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19:44

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19:46

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19:48

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19:51

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