two vague phrases

[KLPNO]

Hello everyone

I'd like to ask about the meaning of two unclear phrases in the following context:

"That land is definitely burning," she said. "Huge volumes of green wood are being turned to smoke and ash, which help hide the tops of the flames. And of course that scorching heat will lift everything." She pointed at the sky, asking, "Can you see what I see?"
Jopale hadn't noticed. But the eastern half of the sky had no stars, a dense black lid set over the dying world. Flood this landscape with daylight, and half of the heavens would be choked beneath a foul mass of boiling, poisonous clouds.

Does the phrase "heat will lift everything" mean that the fire will burn everything which will cause smoke to rise.

What does "half of the heavens would be choked beneath" mean. As far as I understand "heavens" means "sky" and how the sky can be beneath compared to earth?

[Anglika]

Originally Posted by KLPNO

Hello everyone

I'd like to ask about the meaning of two unclear phrases in the following context:

"That land is definitely burning," she said. "Huge volumes of green wood are being turned to smoke and ash, which help hide the tops of the flames. And of course that scorching heat will lift everything." She pointed at the sky, asking, "Can you see what I see?"
Jopale hadn't noticed. But the eastern half of the sky had no stars, a dense black lid set over the dying world. Flood this landscape with daylight, and half of the heavens would be choked beneath a foul mass of boiling, poisonous clouds.

Does the phrase "heat will lift everything" mean that the fire will burn everything which will cause smoke to rise. Heat rises, so the scorching heat will lift all the ash and smoke upwards.

What does "half of the heavens would be choked beneath" mean. As far as I understand "heavens" means "sky" and how the sky can be beneath compared to earth? If the land could be lit, it would show that the er was a mass of clouds over the sky. The author is asking the reader to suspend normal belief and think of the sky as being behind or under the clouds.

.