It took all night to get the fire to the stage where the situation was considered stabilized. The team would monitor for hot spots with the thermal imaging equipment and watch for any sparks the wind might reignite.
Tired and filthy, Tucker was relieved that only a small area of the woods had been burned, and thankfully once the underbrush quit fueling it and the wind died down, the activities were enough to suppress it finally.
Weary from the all-nighter, Tucker showered at the firehouse, then met with fresh team members to brief them to take over through the day.
Work would continue to keep hot spots under control, and investigators controlled access while they collected evidence to identify the point of origination for their reports. The homeowner, Jack, had said the fire started on the back porch.
“Good morning. I’m sure you’ve heard that we were called out in response to a fire at the Jacobs’ home up on Old Mill overnight. In training, you hear that a fire can double in just fifteen to thirty seconds. We all witnessed that firsthand on that call. Weather conditions can turn a small fire into something out of control in a flash, especially with how dry the air has been. Stay on your toes.”
He didn’t like any injuries at all, but thank goodness those sustained were minor. “We have one shoulder injury and Douglas twisted an ankle. I need you all to be sure you’re inspecting all of your equipment. We need to learn from every incident. Small things like worn-out boots, and I know they are expensive, but that is a risk of an injury that can be mitigated. Who here has taken the time to really look at the tread on their boots lately?”
Only a couple of hands went in the air. “Yeah, me either, and this is a good time for us all to do that today.”
He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “The Jacobs lost everything in that house. They are upstairs in the community room until we get them moved somewhere.”
“Was it the Christmas tree that caused the fire?” someone asked.
“No. It was not. Their tree was still so fresh it didn’t ignite for a long while, but remind folks to keep those trees watered. This time of year it’s a big factor. Ground crews from not only our house, but our neighboring counties, and our new volunteers from the national parks division brought expertise to the table, taking charge of the edges of the forest at risk, prepping fire circles on the outer bands, while we fought the main fire.”
A hand shot up. Tucker acknowledged the older man in charge of the junior firefighters’ club with the school.
He stood. “This is the kind of project that’s perfect for our junior firemen to replant that area. We’ve got that allotment of trees, and it’ll be a good learning opportunity for them to see where the fire jumped from the house to the woods, and how the preventative trenches were dug to contain it to a controlled area.”
“Excellent. Take lead on that.” Tucker jotted a note in his book. “Yeah, that opportunity doesn’t arise that often. Thanks for bringing that up.”
Tommy stood. “We may need some backup volunteers for the Christmas Tree Stroll. Some of the team were out last night and will need some rest. Others are shifting into active participation on the fire that we hadn’t planned on.” He ran his fingers down his dark horseshoe mustache. A nervous habit. “So anyone with some extra availability, let me know today if you can. Spread the word. I’ll update the staffing list for duty and the Christmas Tree Stroll on the app and bulletin board for everyone by lunchtime tomorrow.”
“Put me down for whatever you need,” said one of the volunteers.
“Much appreciated. Y’all can see me after the meeting. Thanks, Chief.”
“Thanks, Tommy. I know Doris will get the Jacobs added to the county list for help with the holidays, but this family is going to need the support of the whole community for more than two weeks. Let’s see what we can do to get the word out.” Tucker scanned the room. “That’s it. Go out and be safe.”
Tucker left the station house filled with thanks for these people he considered family. It wasn’t always easy to check the emotion at the door. A mixed blessing.
“Tucker?”
He turned to see who was calling his name.
“Hey!” A woman was yelling from the window of a vehicle as bright red as the fire truck.
He walked over, realizing the closer he got that it was Sheila.
“Hey there. Nice car.” He stepped back, taking a better look. “One of those electric jobs. Read about them. Never have seen a Tesla like this in person, though.”
“Long story. A deal too good to pass up. I’ll tell you about it someday, but I wanted to catch you to see if there’s a list of things I can get for the family.”
“There’s one started. I could email it to you, or you’re welcome to go on up. They are in the community room.”
“Would it be okay? I spoke to Diane last night. I wouldn’t mind checking in with her, maybe just give her some encouragement that she’s not in this alone.”
“Can never give too much of that. Sure.” He pointed to the far side of the building. “If you park over there, you can take the stairs straight up.”
“Is it okay that I brought a few things for them?”
“Yeah. That’s really thoughtful.”
She got out of the car. For a short girl, she had legs that seemed to go on forever as she stretched them out to stand. She draped her arms across the top of the door. “I can’t tell you how moving it was for me to see all that last night. The way everyone worked together against the power of that fire. I never realized just how hot and fierce a house fire could be.” She swallowed. “I … it just never really dawned on me. Anyway, I hope you weren’t upset with us showing up. Orene was insistent.”
“Oh, I know Orene, and there’s no stopping her when she has her mind on something. She does stuff like that, and trying to chase her off takes me off task. She knows to stay out of the way.”
“Good. I was worried we’d upset you.”
“Don’t you worry about that.” He had a feeling it would be hard for her to set him off, especially the way her wide smile reached her eyes. He found it hard to pull his gaze from hers, and his mouth went a little dry. “I’m headed home for some rest. You go on up.” He lifted his hand in a wave and started to walk away.
“Umm—”
He stopped and turned back.
“Once you’re rested up, I’d like to pick up on our conversation, ya know, from before the fire alarm went off. I mean, if you wanted to get lunch or something.”
She’s asking me out? City girls. He’d never get used to that. Practically married to his job, he didn’t mind the company of a beautiful woman, even if she was only going to be here for a couple of weeks. “Sure. Yeah.”
“You can just call Orene’s or I could give you my number.” Her cheeks turned slightly pink.
Tucker pulled his phone from his pocket and brought up the telephone screen. “Here. Call yourself. I’ll have yours and you’ll have mine.”
She typed her phone number in so quickly that her shiny red fingernails were almost a blur, except for the cute little silver bells on her pointer finger.
“I like your fingernails.”
She curled her fingers in, laughing. “Kind of fun. I don’t usually do decorations like that, but my manicurist wanted to do something special as a holiday gift for me. It’s sweet, isn’t it?”
“It is. It’s my favorite Christmas carol.”
“‘Silver Bells’? Mine too. When I was in first grade, we did this ice-skating thing on the stage in the cafeteria for the Christmas pageant. I was dressed in this cute little red corduroy dress, white tights, and earmuffs. Like ice-dancing couples, we slid in our socks around the floor in a big circle and sang ‘Silver Bells.’” She rocked as if recalling the motion of skating across that floor.
“I bet you were adorable.” He could almost picture a pint-sized version of her with a rounder childish face and pink lips. “You should come with me to the elementary school Christmas program if you’re still in town on the twentieth. There’s nothing cuter.”
“You have children?”
“No. I know them all, though. I do safety talks for the school twice a year.”
“I’d like that. You’re on. I should be here. I’ll put it on my calendar, which, by the way, is very open except for decorating that tree, which seems to be getting fancier by the second.”
“Don’t tell me.” He covered his ears. “I’ll be accused of stealing secrets when we win.”
“You’re going to have to really do something to beat us. You’ve never seen competitive until you’ve seen Natalie in full action.”
“I can almost imagine that.” The exhaustion he’d been feeling seemed to lift. He could spend all day in Sheila’s smile—friendly, compassionate, and full of life.
“Go. You need your rest after last night. I’m going to go up and check on the Jacob family.” She slid back behind the wheel of the Tesla, and with barely a sound, eased across the lot and out of sight.
He climbed into his truck, still marveling over how anyone could change his energy with just a smile.