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Jubal and Sugar were already on fire attack, dragging a hose on the main floor, while Zeke and Cat were outside as their backup Jubal had carried in a TIC--a ther camera--to locate the fire and any possible people inside

"Hold off, Ladder Two," Tyler said into his radio "Let’s clear the building before we start throwin’ steah the speaker, "Copy that"

"We’re going to need ventilation," Jubal called over the frequency

I gestured for Taylor to oblige Jubal’s request "Copy, Jubal" I lowered my radio "Give me vertical ventilation, Taylor With all that furniture in there as fuel …" I trailed off, troubled

"We’re at a high risk for a flashover," Taylor said, finishing ht," I said Fire fuel, whether it was hydrocarbons or natural vegetation like wood, released gasses at a certain tenited from super-heated air from the fire, an area could spontaneously cohters in the vicinity Other than a warehouse full of explosives or tires, thousands of pieces of furniture were a formidable rival for any fire departest challenge as commander

I watched my brother walk away and felt my stomach sink "Taylor!" He stopped "Hold up Keep an eye out down here I’ll do it"

"But," Taylor began

"I said I’ll do it!" I growled I grabbed an ax off Engine Nine before heading for the aerial ladder to cut a hole in the roof I signaled to Porter to follow me to the ladder truck "Grab a saw!" I yelled to hi toward a ladder instead of reround to keep watch

We cli hied upward nearly fifty feet As the hipped, heat pelted ic pang into miss it I had loved fire trucks since I was a boy, and I wasn’t sure how life would be without feeling the rush of running into a burning building when everyone else was running out

Porter closed his eyes and sed Even under his bulky bunker gear, I could see that he was breathing hard

"You ain’t afraid of heights, are ya, Porter?"

He shook his head, his cheeks still fattened by youth Straight out of school, he’d just joined Estes Park’s Station four ht of a nickname for hi to do the job"

I slaht of a nicknahtened "Yeah?"

"Honey badger"

Porter looked confused

"You knohat a honey badger is, Porter? They eat cobras They don’t give a fuck"

A wide grin spread across his face, but he quickly sobered when the ladder ca onto the edge of the rooftop I tapped the butt ofsure the roof wasn’t spongey