Firefighter Tanner Hall is used to running into burning buildings and risking his life to save others. It's just another day of work for the father of two. But when he gets a call from the San Diego zoo about an animal attack, he has no idea what he...
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"So, what do you want to do?" Brooks stands next to me as we both watch flames overtake the warehouse in front of us. The wave of scorching heat nearly knocks me off of my feet as I eye the dozens of propane tanks in the area, ready to combust at the slightest spark. If we don't get this thing under control soon, the entire street is going to blow up like the fucking Fourth of July.
Luckily, the warehouse we're dealing with is abandoned, but that doesn't mean the surrounding buildings are, and I want to avoid an explosion at all costs. A few other stations are here as support, but it's on my call.
"Wes, you and Tino take a few guys and make sure all the businesses around here got the evacuation notice." He nods and takes off with four other guys behind him.
"What are the specs?"
Arnold winces. "Not great. Fire started in the third-floor boiler room and it's spreading fast. We're near collapse, and with all these tanks..." He trails off. We don't have much time.
"Riggs, line the engine up on the south side of the building, and get thirty-seven and forty-two over there with you. We'll strip the roof and go at it from the top. Brooks, I need..."
"No," Morgan appears at my side, his unwavering gaze on the fire as he steps slightly in front of me. "We'll go at it from the sides. Focus on saturation. I want the lower floor and the surrounding outside to be completely flooded. We're talking containment here, not extinguishing the fire. It'll burn out on its own if we do a good enough job with the perimeter."
Part of me wants to laugh. He's joking, right? He has to be. Containment? When we have a strong chance of saving the structure and putting the fire out completely? It might burn out eventually, but that could take hours and there won't be a single scrap left standing when it does. This isn't even the safe way out—it's the scared way. Like Morgan's afraid of a little bad press instead of letting us do what we're trained to do.
"The roof is a direct line." I protest. "If we fight it from down here, we'll lose the whole damn building and probably blow those two tanks by its door."
"And if you strip the roof, the origination point gets more oxygen. If it gets out of control, every single one of these tanks will blow and we're looking at catastrophic damage. Two small explosions are better than taking that risk." Morgan doesn't back down, turning from the fire toward me.
"We won't let it get out of control." I clench my jaw, fury building inside of me. "Sir, with all due respect, we both know the roof is the quickest access point and that my team can get it done. No explosions, no collapse. We can save the building and minimize the destruction if we get it out fast enough. We're wasting time here."
"You're wasting time, Captain Hall. Get your team in place; this isn't a discussion. I'm not putting three squads up on ladders over an unpredictable fire to save an empty building that'll be taken down, regardless. We're doing this defensively. No heroics today." Morgan doesn't even wait for a response from me before turning to a captain from one of the support stations. "Carlyle, get your men at the two tanks attached to this place. I want it contained when they blow."
