Wildfire (25 page)

The crew would be riding in on a water truck armed with shovels, axes and chainsaws as they headed into the night. The truck dropped them at the end of a fire road close to where they would begin clearing vegetation. If they were lucky there would be some natural breaks that would help ease their burden. The tanker truck would follow them as they created the firebreak and the crew of the truck would work to soak as much area as they could before having to rotate out with another truck to resupply their stores.

It was twilight as they approached the ridge, the smoke was almost suffocating. The kerchiefs they wore weren’t really much help and the smoke burned their lungs. If the blaze did shift they would have to switch to oxygen tanks, but for now they would conserve their resources.

The burn in Elaine’s body was familiar and she worked through the heaviness that was pervading her muscles. With chainsaws and shovels they worked to cut trees and remove anything that would fuel the blaze. They had been working for several hours without rest and had managed to clear a wide path. She guessed it was after midnight, though the eerie light from the approaching fire made the light uncertain. The tanker crew stayed with them spraying water on the surrounding area hoping to saturate it, leaving the fire nothing to feed on.

“Allen, get some water on those trees.” The smoke burned Elaine’s throat, making it difficult to yell. The roar of the fire nearly swallowed her words.

“Yes, Cap.” His voice was showing the effects of the smoke as well.

The wind kicked up again and, as predicted, turned in their direction. Embers leapt and jumped, starting smaller fires they quickly used their shovels to smother with dirt.

“Okay guys, watch your back!”

For a moment it looked like the break would hold. But as they worked she felt the smoke getting heavier. The fire was gaining in intensity.

“Come on guys, pick up the pace. Watch the crosswinds.”

“Cap, you got a hot spot to your left.”

Elaine quickly smothered the fire. “Thanks, Dex!”

Her focus abruptly riveted on the radio chatter. A team farther up the ridge was pulling back. The fire had crossed over them and was coming up behind Elaine’s crew even as the other team was in the back burn with a second wave of fire rising. Their clear-cut had been breached and the entire company was encircled. It was a call nobody ever wanted to hear and she knew that her crew was the closest ground unit to assist the trapped firefighters.

Elaine had the safety of her crew to think about but when it came right down to it, the decision she had to make was easy. She redirected the water truck that was working with them and still over half full, to lay down a clearing to give the trapped firefighters a path out of danger.

“Those guys are going to need some help getting out of there. We are going to break off this spur and go assist,” she yelled. “But anyone who wants out now should go. You have families to think about.”

“So do you, Cap.”

Elaine smiled; it was ironic that those words had never been spoken when she was with Grace.

Elaine looked into the faces of the men and women standing around her waiting for orders. None had even budged, not that she had expected them to. They all knew that if they were in the same situation they would want help to come as quickly as possible. Their eyes held fear but also loyalty and a determination to do whatever was necessary to save lives.

A helicopter had been dispatched to assist the stranded firefighters, but there was no guarantee that it would be enough. Within minutes, she knew the water drop wouldn’t be enough. They all knew it—she saw it in the faces of her crew.

The fire was burning too hot for the water to extinguish much of a path. The secondary plane’s payload of chemical retardant still wasn’t guaranteed to alleviate the immediate danger. Elaine checked the coordinates and the direction of the wind. The fire was moving faster than the rangers would be able to. They were about to be just as pinned down as the crew they’d come to rescue.

They were trapped with a granite ridge they couldn’t climb to their west and encroaching fire on the south and east, both converging on the fresh fuel, drawing the fire right over them to the north.

Their only escape route was going to be ablaze before they cleared it.

She radioed the captain of the trapped crew. He had reached the same conclusion and agreed to work their way toward her crew where they would work to establish a back door for extraction.

The air drop was directed to the leading edge of the fire separating Elaine’s crew from the trapped men. Hopefully it would provide them with more time and room to work.

When her company arrived at the fire wall that separated her from the trapped unit, the water truck was already working. They were in oxygen tanks and Elaine’s own men quickly donned theirs. They began moving burning and smoldering material out of the way.

The smoke made it impossible to breathe and despite the flames they had almost no visibility. They were close to the water drop site, had to be, because now steam was making an ash slick of the helmet’s visor. The fire surrounded them but the small area they had cleared to reach the trapped men and women was holding.

They were on top of the other crew before she realized it. Amid gestured high fives they turned to their mutual path of escape, the crews joined forces to clear a path. Elaine tried to see through the blackness of the smoke. She did a quick head count—and came up one short. Someone was missing. Driven by instinct alone, she turned and ran back into the fire.

She almost tripped over the missing man. She thought it might be Donovan, but the number and visor was too obscured to be sure. It didn’t matter, he was down and she wasn’t leaving without him.

Despite the protective clothing she wore she could feel the blisters forming on her skin. They had very little time before they would become victims of the fire. If hell did exist, she had no doubt that she was standing in the midst of it.

Wrapping her arms around the fallen man’s chest just under his arms, she began backing out the way she had come in. Her legs burned as she dug her boots into the smoldering earth.

She didn’t have to turn to feel the heat build at her back. There was no doubt in her mind that her men would hold the door open. She felt like the blood was about to boil in her veins, when Dex and Allen appeared to take her burden from her. Through sheer will and determination, she remained on her feet. Their goal now was to hold the clearing they had created open a little while longer.

Where the fuck is that second plane?

The trapped crew had suffered significant burns and smoke inhalation. The oxygen helped but they needed to get medical attention. She knew she had some minor burns and the rest of her crew needed help. They didn’t have hours. They might not even have minutes—

The honking of horns penetrated the roar of the fire. Two trucks were a welcome sight as they picked their way across the uneven terrain toward them. The smoke was so thick Elaine couldn’t be certain of how they had made it in to them. The drivers had hoped to carry one crew out but there were now too many. Elaine ordered the most severely injured and exhausted to the trucks. The rest of them would have to hike out as quickly as possible.

She looked back at the main fire and ordered immediate mobilization. With their heavy gear and no rock climbing equipment, they could only follow the routes the trucks had taken, at a fraction of their speed. If they could make it to the break they had worked on clearing earlier they would have a better chance of making it.

Allen suddenly gestured, catching her attention. There was a break in the granite, a natural alcove. It was their best chance for survival. The winds had picked up and the fire was moving faster now. They were out of options.

Elaine ordered her crew under their fire blankets as she radioed their coordinates. The second drop she had called for had been delayed due to the high winds but was en route and would change course to provide them support.

Everyone scrambled under their blankets, using the granite to their advantage to shield themselves as the fire bore down on them. She lay under her shield feeling the temperature rise as the flames rolled over them seeking fuel on the other side of their hold. She could feel a blister forming under her heavy glove and hoped it was the only one.

It would be so easy to give in to the beast. Elaine closed her eyes against the pain searing through her body. The pain told her to run, to get away, anywhere was better than here. Only her mind kept her where she was. There was no place safe to run to. She closed her eyes and for the first time since leaving the bus let herself think about Devon. She could see herself years from now with Devon by her side. She would endure any pain to get back to the woman she loved. The truth of her words echoed in her mind;
a lifetime with Devon wouldn’t be long enough
.

The roaring was not as loud now and the temperature had dropped slightly. The rocks had protected them as the fire rolled over the crew. She hadn’t heard the plane that had dropped chemical suppressant intended to extinguish the flames, but when she pulled back her blanket, she was relieved to see everything covered in red.

It was a beautiful sight.

Behind the flames there was a strange calm. They took stock of their injuries, raising their masks so they could talk. Tom’s glove had failed and his hand was damn near blistered to the bone. The best she could offer the distressed man was a quick field dressing. She smiled at him, trying to take his mind off the pain. “Your wife is going to skin me for this.”

Tom grimaced. “Yeah, well you don’t have to live with her.”

Elaine laughed. “I’ll tell her you said that.”

“Oh, come on Cap, why do you have to be that way?”

Elaine smiled. “Because I love you, that’s why.”

“Come on, let’s get you up.” Brad helped Elaine get Tom on his feet. As the shock wore off, the pain would be relentless and he didn’t have time to surrender to it. They had a lot of ground to cover before they could get him the medical attention he so badly needed.

Elaine quickly gathered her team, which now included a couple of the firefighters they had rescued and they once again made their way across the ridge.

The sun was rising when they finally met up with another crew, also waiting for transit out. She found a place to sit, her back to a rock and didn’t remember anything more.

It was noon before she found medical attention and rations for her men and herself. Elaine was exhausted and she just wanted to crawl into the back of a truck and crash for the rest of the day. Sleep invited her, but calling Devon was more important. She had to nurse her battery for all it was worth—recharge stations were a luxury. Just dialing the number took what little energy she had remaining, but she absolutely had to hear Devon’s voice. She needed her comfort.

“Hi.”

“Oh God, Elaine, you sound terrible.”

“I’m fine. I just wanted to hear your voice before I go to sleep again.”

Elaine could hear the tension in Devon’s voice. “You’re okay, right? You’re safe?”

“I’m safe.” It was the truth, even if not the whole truth.

“You need to rest.”

“I miss you, Devon.”

“I think it goes without saying that I miss you too.”

“How are you holding up?”

The line crackled. “Don’t worry about me. Just come back to me in one piece. How long will you be out there?”

“I don’t know. At least a couple of weeks. Now we plan for the runoff when it rains, try to direct the ash where it’ll do the least amount of damage. Lots of digging.”

“Sooner or later someone like me will make sure you did a good job.”

She could tell Devon was trying to cheer her, but she couldn’t hold off sleep any longer. “I’ll be home soon. I love you.”

Devon’s voice was soft. “I love you, too. Sweet dreams.”

Devon arrived at the station parking lot, frazzled and worried. In the three weeks since Elaine had left she’d become worried that Elaine was hurt and not telling her. It was irrational, but short sporadic phone calls weren’t reassuring, though she was profoundly grateful for them. She needed to see for herself that Elaine was all right. She wouldn’t be able to breathe again until Elaine was in her arms.

Elaine’s truck was there, looking like it had been driven to hell and back.

Devon passed several doors before a nice looking gentleman, who looked like he was in desperate need of sleep, stepped out of his office. “May I help you?”

“I’m looking for Captain Elaine Thomas. The woman at the front desk said that she was over this way somewhere.”

He held out his hand and flashed a warm smile.

“Hi, I’m Brad. If I see the Cap, can I tell her who is looking for her?”

Devon smiled at his welcoming charm and because she recognized him as one of Elaine’s crew members. Elaine thought very highly of her men. That meant she did too. “Devon McKinney.”

Brad’s smile grew as if hearing her name was the best news he had heard all day.

“You might try looking just down the hall. She may be outside.” He pointed to glass doors leading outside. “That’s where the smokers go for a break.”