Page 77 of Burning For You

Or people.

“Move!” his captain barked.

The hoses hit pavement and hydrants spun open just like they were trained. Just like a dance they did every time they pulled up to something like this.

Ash took his position, planted his feet, and opened the line wide. Water slammed into the flames licking out of the building’s side, steam exploding back at him in angry white clouds.

Other men on his crew disappeared inside, dragging lines through smoke and debris, trying to cut it off from the interior before it ran the entire structure.

The fire didn’t fight like an accident.

It pulsed. Crawled. Found new air.

He tracked the flames along the wall, his eyes flicking to the second building. Too close, too vulnerable. If this jumped, they’d lose both.

The call for volunteer engines went out just like he knew it would. Even if they got it under control, which he hoped they would, there was no saying what they could find inside.

Other engines came in to help, but after an hour they had most of it contained to one side only, the other buildings not touched.

His arms burned as he shifted. His shoulders screamed and prayed for some relief.

And when it came, when he was told to shut it off, he felt his body slump to the ground.

Sweat was pouring down his back, drenching his T-shirt and pants under his gear.

He’d need a shower before he could climb back into his bunk, but he knew once his head hit the pillow, he’d be out and be silently chanting for this to be the last call of his shift.

He pushed himself up from the pavement and rolled the hose back in place as the men from inside came out stretching their arms and backs and shaking their heads.

“That was nasty,” Bruce said. “What a mess inside.”

“A lot of shit to catch?” he asked.

“Not as much as it could have been. Who knows how many people have been living there?”

He looked around at the crowd and could guess a lot. Especially those talking to the police and asking if they could get back in.

Nope. Not happening.

Most likely not ever once the place was boarded up again.

“I’m sure their stuff is gone or ruined now,” he said.

“On that side of the building it is. There were two separate fires. One in the back and one in the front. Not sure if two caught or what.”

“As long as there were no bodies,” he said, “I’ll consider it a good night.”

“None that I saw or anyone else did.”

“Which means we are going in for a closer look now?” he asked.

He looked over and saw his captain calling in ranks and that was exactly what they were going to do.

They had flashlights out and were in and moving around as carefully as they could, calling out on the radio their locations while another engine watched the outside of the building for any other emerging flames.

He was kicking shit aside. Old tents, clothing, empty boxes and bags.

There were needles everywhere, dirty mattresses, ratty clothing.