Page 14 of Fire Fight

“That means he’s due,” I gritted out, my words mostly drowned by the sirens as Tuck flipped them on once we mostly cleared the residential neighborhoods and were cruising through the business loop of downtown.

As more adrenaline released into my bloodstream, my body began to hum in anticipation. This could’ve been another run-of-the-mill warehouse fire. I’d fought dozens in my career. But…I couldn’t forget the prom night fire I’d worked a few years back, and I didn’t believe in coincidences, especially not on this night.

My only hope was we arrived in time to save the poor woman he’d targeted this time.

When Tuck pulled up to the structure, the fire was already fully involved. Flames licked at the window panes along the side, the garage doors on the front glowed orange as they were battered from behind, and fire danced around the frame of the closed side entrance.

This building used to be an auto shop owned by a local family. They’d recently moved to a larger, more modern place they’d built on the other side of town, and this one had recently sold to a landscaping company.

We hopped out of the truck, and as the most senior person on the scene until Chief arrived, I took charge of incident command, calling it into dispatch to let them know we’d arrived. Quickly, I ran the perimeter, assessing how and where was best to breach and attack.

“Where do you want us, Cap?” Sutton Rausch, theparamedic in charge at our fire station, asked when I returned to the front, gesturing to herself and her partner, Thomas.

“I want you guys on standby. If we radio out, be ready. I have no idea what, if anything, we’ll find in there, but…”

“We got it,” she reminded me.

I nodded grimly. Like me, Sutton had grown up in Dusk Valley. She was a few years ahead of me in school and had graduated with my brother, Lane. This also wasn’t her first prom night fire.

When I looped around the side of the truck and greeted my men, Burns, the fourth member of our truck crew, held out an air bottle and SCBA for me.

“Tuck, I want you with me going in through this side door. Childers and Burns, I want you heading around to the rear entrance. That door is about kitty corner from this one. This side seems to be where the worst of the blaze, so we’ll breach away from it, assess, do a sweep for vics, and get the fuck out. Understood?”

My men nodded and, faces set in determination, moved to carry out my directions.

The building butted up to a copse of trees, and nearby sat an abandoned pile of wooden pallets.

Kindling.

“Engine!” I shouted, and their lieutenant rushed to my side. “Keep things contained while we do a quick sweep. Douse those pallets, and be mindful of the trees. Snake a line around that backside if you can in case it decides it wants to jump.”

“Roger that,” he saluted.

“Great, now haul over a line and cover us while Tuck and I go in.”

“Davis!” the lieutenant called. “You’re up!”

Emergency lights cut through the night as Chief Madden slammed his buggy to a stop at the curb, pulling his helmet onand withdrawing his own SCBA from the backseat before approaching the scene.

“Status report!” he shouted as he approached.

“Tuck and I are heading in,” I said. “Engine will cover us. I’m sending Childers and Burns around back.”

Chief nodded and yelled, “Let’s go, boys!”

Davis from the engine crew raced over, dragging a hose with him. While he positioned himself, I approached the front entrance and turned, bracing my hands against either side of the door jam. The material was hot, even through my gloves, and sweat instantly broke out on my back. I glanced at the engine guy, who gave me a nod.

“You ready?” I shouted at Tuck.

The man gave me an almost feral grin. “Let’s rock.”

“Three…two…one…” I swung my right leg back forcefully, delivering a perfect donkey kick that sent the door careening opening.

I moved out of the way as Davis hollered at his team, “Charge it!”

Across the hard-packed dirt lot, I watched the hose expand with water until it reached the nozzle, and Davis opened it up, shuffling forward, directing the spray at the flames inside.

I came up behind him, one hand resting on his shoulder. Tuck did the same behind me, and as a unit, we moved into the building.