Page 51 of Falling for the Firefighter
We climb in silence, boots ringing against metal rungs. At the top, the cabin's interior is sparse—a chair, a table, and communication equipment that has long since been removed. But the views are exactly what I remember.
"There." I point through the southern windows. "See how the fire jumps that creek bed? Water should stop surface spread, but it's moving like there's a bridge."
Mac raises his binoculars, studying the pattern. "Fuel ladder. Someone created artificial connections between the ground and the canopy."
"More than that." I trace the fire's advance with my finger. "The spread pattern is too regular. Too predictable. This isn't natural fire behavior."
"What are you thinking?"
Someone didn't just prepare ignition points. They engineered the entire burn pattern." My voice hardens with growing certainty. "This fire is following a predetermined path."
"Toward what?"
I study my maps, comparing the spread of fires to topographical features. The answer emerges with chilling clarity.
"The old processing plant. The main facility for Silver Creek Mine." I tap the location on my map. "If this fire reaches the plant site, it'll destroy the last structural evidence of historical mining operations."
"Evidence of what?"
"Environmental damage. Safety violations. The reason the mine was shut down in the first place." My hands shake as the full scope becomes clear. "Someone's not just clearing legal obstacles. They're erasing evidence."
Mac's radio erupts with urgent chatter. Parker's voice cuts through static: "Alpha Leader, Priority One. We've got civilians trapped at Eagle's Nest campground. Evacuation route compromised by fire spread."
Scout's head snaps up at Parker's voice, her body going rigid with the focus she reserves for search and rescue operations. She knows that tone, understands what "civilians trapped" means in our shared vocabulary. She moves to the window, pressing her nose against the glass as if she can already scent the people who need our help.
When I move toward my pack, she's already there, sitting in the perfect position to be harnessed for a rescue operation. Ready. Willing. Trusting me to lead us toward people who need saving.
Eagle's Nest campground sits directly in the path of the engineered fire. And if my analysis is correct, the fire will reach the campground in less than two hours.
"How many?" Mac demands.
"Twelve confirmed. Family groups, including children. Fire cut off vehicle access. They're on foot with minimal supplies."
Mac looks at me, the same calculation running through both our minds. The campground sits three miles into the backcountry, accessible only by hiking trails. In normal circumstances, a three-mile hike with children might take two hours. But with smoke limiting visibility and panic affecting decision-making...
"Alternate extraction routes?" Mac asks.
"Negative. The fire's spread has eliminated all standard evacuation paths."
"What about air support?"
"Smoke's too thick for helicopter operations. And the wind patterns are too erratic for safe landing zones."
Mac stares at the fire, jaw working as he processes options. Command decisions in crisis—life and death choices made with incomplete information under time pressure. I've watched him carry this weight before, but never with stakes this high.
"There's another way out." My voice comes quietly, but certain.
Mac turns to me, tension bracketing his jaw. The fire rages downhill, a living, devouring thing. And still, he looks at me like I’m the fire he can’t control.
“The old mining road,” I continue, tracing the line on my map. “It connects to the campground through a tunnel system carved into the mountain. It’ll bypass the worst of the flames. Shield them from the smoke.”
"How do you know about these tunnels?"
"My father mapped them before the mine closed. I've walked sections of them myself." I meet his eyes. "It's risky, but it's their only chance."
Mac studies the map, clearly torn between multiple impossible choices. Save civilian lives by risking more lives? Trust my knowledge of tunnels I haven't fully explored? Send his team into unknown underground terrain?
"You're sure about this route?" His voice carries the weight of command responsibility.
