“Hey, Swede.” Gibbons, acting as fire boss, hailed her over the din.
Ash blackened his face, and the smoke he’d hiked through
reddened his eyes. “I’m taking you, Matt and Yangtree off the saw line.
The head’s shifted on us. It’s moving up the ridge to the south and building.
We got spots frigging everywhere. We need to turn her while we can.”
He pulled out his map to show her positions. “We got hotshots working here,
and Janis, Trigger, two of the rooks, flanking it here.
We’ve got another load coming in, and they’ll take
the saw line, chase down spots. We’ve got repellent on the way,
should dump on the head in about ten, so make sure you’re clear.”
“Roger that.”
“Take them up. Watch your ass.”
She grabbed her gear, pulled in her teammates and began the
half-mile climb through smoke and heat. In her mind she plotted
escape routes, the distance and direction to the safe zone.
Chasing Fire
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Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=264533
The most useful thing scientists can tell a fire crew in the field is what the fire's going to do. And that means understanding how the winds may shift—even when they come from the fire itself.
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She felt the change in the wind, just a flutter, and saw the fire grab its tail to ride. A cut to the
west now, still north of Trigger’s crew, she noted, but moving toward them.
She circled around, contacting him by radio.
“She’s shifting, curling back toward you.”
“We’ve got a Cat line here, a good, wide one. I don’t think she can jump it. Escape route due
south.”
“They’re bringing mud. I just called to tell them to dump a load west, down your flank. Stay
clear.”
“Roger that. Cards just got here with reinforcements. We’re going to hold this line, Swede.”
“After the mud drops, I’m going to get an air report. I want to take four from your team, same
from mine, get them up to the head. Squeeze it. But if she jumps the road, get gone.”
Chasing Fire
