New team

24.Fire investigator

Feeling how his lungs started to burn, Liam managed to catch up with Julia and Chris, who were also on the call duty this evening, right before Jupiter's garage door. Liam leaned gently against the shelf where the helmets were lying, then joined his friends and quickly jumped into his uniform.

"So you're in charge today, Liam?" Julia asked as their eyes met briefly when they both reached for their helmets.

“It looks like it,” Liam shrugged. "We have no choice, we're taking Jupiter," Liam ordered and the three of them climbed into the vehicle.

"Don't wind him up," Chris warned jokingly. "Because if he get used to it and then we'll have to put up with his nagging more often than necessary."

"Very funny, Chris," Liam replied annoyedly, then fell silent, focusing his attention fully on the road.

They drove outside the strict Pontypandy area and only then turned on the siren. From what they heard, it seemed that the residents had become unaccustomed to the sound of sirens at night for over last ten years of seeming peace in Pontypandy, so the firefighters created an informal agreement that if the night call was outside the city, they would not turn on the sirens in Pontypandy.
They didn't see the fire from a distance, but as soon as they saw the slightly neglected white walls of the house, they also saw smoke coming out through the cracked glass in the windows.
The sight was somewhat unexpected, because they received information from main that the last residents had sold the house a few weeks ago and the new owners had not moved in yet.

"We need to check the building anyway," Liam announced as soon as Jupiter stopped in front of the gate leading into the building. "Chris, you'll come with me. Julia, get the hoses ready," he ordered.

Even though they rarely attended calls, the exercises were still effective and now, without unnecessary words, they were able to get ready before Liam and Chris disappeared in the smoke coming from the building's open door.
Julia was listening, waiting by the Jupiter for her colleagues to leave the building, when she heard a loud explosion. She waited with bated breath to see if she would hear a response over the radio, when nothing happened. Only after a long while did she hear the beeping of the radio and Liam's voice.

"We're fine, but we can't get to the second floor. There's a strange noise coming from there" Liam reported. "We have to find another way."

Less than a minute later, Chris and Liam walked out the front door and approached Julia.

"What happened there?" Julia asked, taking a closer look at her colleagues' faces to make sure they really didn't get hurt in the exploitation.

"We were walking past the kitchen when something exploded. I suspect the gas cylinder may have leaked," Liam explained.

"If the gas cylinder had leaked, we probably wouldn't be sitting here in one piece," Chris growled. "I told you that smoke looked suspicious to my eye."

"You said you heard a strange sound," Julia asked.

"Kind of like a baby crying coming from upstairs," Liam explained. "But the problem is, we have no way to get there. The bottom of the stairs has collapsed."

"So what are we waiting for, come on, let's find the other entrance," Julia encouraged with enthusiasm.

"I'll get this fire under control and you find the entrance," Chris shouted after them and attached the head to the unfolded hose.

Julia and Liam separated and ran around the house from a safer distance, looking for a more suitable entrance than the windows. Less than a minute passed and they met again at Jupiter.

"Did you see anything?" Liam asked.

"Only the windows," Julia replied.

"But we won't get through it," Liam sighed helplessly.