Chapter 20

They had just settled around the big table with cups of coffee, discussing the menu for dinner, when the speaker blared again. This one called for every piece of equipment they had and on the double.

"I have a sick feeling about this," Stan said as he pulled on his turnout gear.

"Me, too." Kristi took one moment to make sure Jared had stocked the ambo with extra supplies before they rolled out right behind the ladder truck.

Three blocks away, they could see it was indeed a bad one. It was another abandoned apartment building, scheduled for demolition, and the black clouds spread for several blocks. Two blocks away, they could see the flames shooting up in the air. That was a good indication the building was fully involved, and at its most dangerous for the men who had to clear it. Because, abandoned or not, there would still be squatters, just like at the others.

The scene was utter chaos. The battalion chief, the incident commander, was already there, making sure all protocols wer