Page 77 of Controlled Burn

We made quick work of the bottom floor, relieved to find it completely empty. As we climbed the staircase to the second floor, the heat intensified. The old wooden steps creaked under my weight, and I prayed they would hold. Robert made a motion that told us that Andy was to go with him to the left, and Ford and I would take the rooms on the right.

Ford gave me a nod and headed towards the front of the building while I turned and went down the hall to the left. When I reached the end, I pushed open a door, and I stepped into what had once been a guest’s room, the floor groaning ominously beneath my boots. I paused, shining my light around to find a safe path forward.

“Is anybody in here?” I called out. I thought I heard a scuffling sound like something moving in the far corner of the room, followed by a whining sound, but over the roar of the fire, it was hard to be sure. The fire hadn’t made it this far yet, but the smoke had, and the room was full of it, making it hard to see, even with my flashlight. The floorboards were old and brittle, barely holding together on a good day, and today was not a good day.

But I had to check and make sure no one was there. I took a few steps into the room, using my flashlight to search the area where the sound came from. As I got closer, the sound changed from a whine to a bark. Shit. I moved faster when I spotted a small brown dog wearing a leash that was tied to the drawer handle of an old dresser.

“Is anyone here?” I called out again. This dog had to belong to someone. It sure didn’t tie itself to the dresser. I made my way over to the poor little guy. “It’s okay, little one, we’re gonna get you out of here.”

I reached down to grab him, but he scurried back, trying to hide in the corner. Poor little thing. I’m sure that in all my gear, I looked more like a huge monster than someone who was there to help. I grabbed the leash and pulled him back towards me before leaning down to pick him up. He snarled, but I knew if he decided to bite me, my gloves would protect me from his little puppy teeth. At some point, he must have realized I was there to help, or maybe he was frozen in fear, who knows, but he went limp as I lifted him up and unhooked the leash from his collar.

I made another sweep with my flashlight to make sure no one was here, but other than the puppy, the room was empty.

“It’s okay, little guy. I’m going to get you out of here.” I made it about halfway across the room with the little guy cradled in my arm when it happened.

With a deafening crack, the floor gave way. I felt the ground vanish beneath me, and for a heart-stopping moment, I was suspended in mid-air. Then I fell, crashing through a cloud of dust and debris. I managed to hold on to the puppy, but I lost my flashlight, leaving me in the darkness.

I hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of me. I tried to get up, but my head was spinning, and my leg was trapped beneath a heavy beam. I was somewhere on the first floor, surrounded by debris and burning wood from above that would soon turn into an inferno.

My arm fell to the side, letting the puppy slip to the floor as I flopped back, trying to decide what to do. “You go on,” I managed to croak out, “Get out of here.” Surely his survival instinct would kick in now that he was free, and he would find a way out.

I reached down to grab the mic for my radio, but it wasn’t there. Shit, it had come loose and was down around my legs. I tugged on the cord to pull it back up so I could call for help, but it didn’t move. It was stuck down there, just like my leg.

It’s okay. When Ford finishes his side, he’ll realize I’m missing, and he’ll come find me.

As long as the fire down here held off, I would be fine.

Then my radio crackled, and Captain Morris’s muffled voice came through.

“This is the incident commander. I’m ordering an operational retreat. I repeat, I’m ordering an operational retreat. All companies evacuate the building and activate your sirens.”

I fought to keep panic at bay. This was bad. Ford would assume I’d retreated. He wouldn’t realize I wasn’t with him until he was already outside, and once he was out there, he wouldn’t be allowed back in. I heard the fire crackling above me and the house creaking and groaning as it succumbed to the flames. I tried again to shift the beam off my leg, but it was too heavy, and the pain was too intense. Sweat poured down my face, stinging my eyes.

“Come on, Keith,” I muttered to myself. “Think. There’s got to be a way out of this.”

I scanned the room, looking for a solution. My vision was blurry, and I wasn’t sure if it was tears, smoke, or a combination of both, but I couldn’t see anything. I pushed off my helmet so I could wipe my eyes before coming up with a plan.

“Okay,” I said through gritted teeth. I reached out and grabbed a broken piece of wood and used it as leverage to push against the beam, but it was no use. The pain in my leg was excruciating, and my head was pounding, so it was taking all I had just to stay awake.

I knew the way things worked. If they’d called for an operational retreat, that meant they thought the building was coming down, and no one would be allowed back in. But I couldn’t just lie here and do nothing. At the bare minimum, I had to let them know where I was.

I might not be able to get my leg free, but I thought I could lift the beam enough to get to my radio. I wedged the wood back in there. I used one hand to push on the board while I pulled on the cord with the other until it broke free and sprang up where I could reach it.

“Mayday, mayday,” I gasped. “This is Keith Brooks. I’ve fallen through the second floor. I’m trapped on the first floor. My leg is pinned. I can’t get out.”

Static crackled in response, and then a voice that sounded a lot like Robert, tight with concern, came through. “Hang tight, Keith. We’re coming for you, brother. Just stay with us.”

I looked around at the raging inferno around me. I couldn’t die here. Caleb and I had just found each other, and there was no way I was leaving him now. They would make it. They had to. And that was the last thought I had before everything went black.

Andy

The moment Captain Morris’s voice came through the radio telling us to leave, my heart raced. I’d never worked a fire where the incident commander called an operational retreat. Robert and I hurried back to the top of the stairs, rushed down them, and out the front door. Then we stood there and watched, waiting for Ford and Keith to come out. We waited, and we waited. Finally, a firefighter rushed out and whipped off his helmet. It was Ford.

“Where’s Keith,” he called. “I waited for him at the top of the stairs, but he didn’t come. I couldn’t get back to his end because of the flames. Did he make it out?”

“We haven’t seen him,” I said, my voice laced with panic. “Shit, what do we do?”

I looked around frantically, hoping someone had the answer when a faint, weak voice came over the radio.

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