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My heart pounded faster in my chest, fueled by adrenaline that coursed through my veins. We rushed out of the gym, all of us wearing deep frowns on our faces, and went to the lockers to change into our personal protective equipment or as we called it, our PPE. Other guys who were in the same shift joined us, and nobody uttered a word until we got the address and went to the trucks. According to the report, this apartment building fire managed to spread through the whole building, so it was highly possible that there would be victims.
I tightened my jaw, noticing out of the corner of my eye how Trent clenched his hands around the steering wheel. He navigated through heavy traffic, switching lanes quickly and taking sharp turns, and we barely even spoke a word. This would be a long night, and I tapped my fingers on my lap as I hoped there wouldn’t be anyone hurt.
It wasn’t uncommon for one of us to get injured or burned during emergencies. Since our dispatchers knew only what the callers had told them—which was most of the time incomplete—we were always heading into unknown, which could cost us lives. Our lives. And the lives of the people inside the structure.
We reached the building in ten minutes, and my adrenaline spiked, leading my body as we jumped out of the truck and put on our face masks. We quickly assessed the situation, agreeing with others about our positions, and went to work. The bystanders had already gathered around, some of them even filming the fire. We could hear the screams of the people from the inside, which prompted us to move faster.
My breathing quickened and senses became sharper, and all my focus now was on entering the building and finding out if there was anyone that was trapped inside. Others were already grabbing the fire hoses, approaching the building from different sides, and I gave Trent a final nod before I stepped in between the furious flames and entered the long hallway.
The cracking sound of the fire all around me made me almost deaf to anything else, and I strained to hear any voices or screams on my way up the stairs. The smoke was thick and I had difficulty seeing anything as I went through random doors of the seemingly vacant apartments.
“Help!” I heard someone scream, and my pace quickened as I made my way to the person calling from the apartment nearby. It was so damn hot, and I reminded myself to stay focused on the task instead of thinking about all the negative probabilities.
“I’m here! Don’t worry! I’ll come and get you out now!” I shouted to the person calling for help so they would know that help was on their way. “Get low towards better air!”
I kicked the door open and rushed inside, covering my head when I passed next to a hallway closet that had caught fire. The flames licked up the furniture, reaching the ceiling that was growing black, and I had trouble seeing anything through smoke and orange glow.
“Help! I’m in the bedroom!”
I had no idea where the fucking bedroom was, since there were three closed doors in the next hallway, but I tried my luck with the first door.
“I’m coming inside, so step away from the door!” I warned them before I kicked the door and darted inside.
I found an old man in his pajamas kneeling next to his single bed, his trembling form almost frozen on his spot.
“Sir! I’m here! I’ll help you get out of here.”
I approached him slowly, taking care not to come in contact with the flames that were dancing dangerously around the small room. It was almost impossible to see anything, since most of the space was completely swallowed by fire and smoke, and I had difficulty helping the poor man out of the room. He was crying, clutching onto my arm too tightly, and I willed myself to calm down my breathing.
“It’s going to be alright. Please, be careful when taking your next steps.”
“My home,” he cried out, letting me pull him out of his apartment and down the hallway of his floor. “My things... Everything is ruined.” He sobbed loudly, but his cries were almost completely drowned out by the cracking and popping sounds everywhere around us. It was so hot.
“It’s going to be alright,” I repeated. All that mattered now was getting this man out alive. “Come on. Careful. We’re close to the exit.”
Several minutes later we were out of the building, passing next to the guys who were working quickly to douse the fire, and an intense feeling of accomplishment for managing to save this man’s life washed over me for a few moments. There were more people outside now, some of them this building’s residents, and their shocked and terrified faces created a heavy weight in my chest. Hopefully, I would be able to reach all the residents inside, if there were any.
I rushed back inside, going up the stairs and through the apartments in my search for any remaining residents. I passed next to the apartments were the fire had already been put out, relieved that we managed to fight against the flames quickly. I came to the top floor, where the raging fire had devoured the most of its apartments, and concentrated on the sounds.
I entered the third apartment on my left. I covered
my head and halted abruptly when the ceiling started falling right in front of me, and my heartbeat skyrocketed once more.
“Is anybody here?!”
I trudged through the place, trying to listen for anyone. The fire had already spread through most of the rooms, and I had to bend forward as I walked further inside.
“Is anybody here?!”
My heart hammered against my rib cage, because I was sure I’d heard screams coming from this place, but now I couldn’t find anyone at all. Had something happened to them?
Was I too late?
“Help me! Please! I’m stuck here! I can’t open the door!”
I heard someone hitting against the door next to me, and I stopped, more than relieved that they were alive.
“Please, move away from the door. I’m going to kick it in.”
