How does Pliny create a sense of drama in the extract?

Pliny states that his uncle launched warships (deducit quadriremes) to sail into the bay which suggests that he is going to war against Vesuvius, making this account dramatic. He uses a chiasmus ‘festinat illus unde alii fugiunt’ (he hurried to that place from which others were fleeing) to emphasise the verbs which highlight his uncle’s heroism. The comparatives ‘calidior et densior’ (hotter and thicker) build up suspense, suggesting that the erupton will only have more disastrous effects. This effectively sets the scene for the rest of the story.
Pliny states that his uncle launched warships (deducit quadriremes) to sail into the bay which suggests that he is going to war against Vesuvius, making this account dramatic. He uses a chiasmus ‘festinat illus unde alii fugiunt’ (he hurried to that place from which others were fleeing) to emphasise the verbs which highlight his uncle’s heroism. The comparatives ‘calidior et densior’ (hotter and thicker) build up suspense, suggesting that the erupton will only have more disastrous effects. This effectively sets the scene for the rest of the story.