Chapter 34
CHAPTER
Ben felt like he was being roasted alive.
He and his Tamworth crew were parked on the side of the road downwind and uphill from the fire.
The worst possible place to be. The choking thick smoke swirled around them with every gust of wind, reducing their vision to just a few metres.
A moment later, the wind would clear the smoke and they could see along the ridge into the leaping red and yellow flames grabbing hold of grass and trees as the fire danced towards them like a living thing.
The trees were spread wide and there wasn’t much grass, but every bit of that sparse vegetation was tinder dry.
His team had hoses out, but the tank on the back of their truck was almost empty.
Above the roar of the fire, Ben thought he heard the sound of an aircraft.
A gust of wind parted the clouds of smoke and a helicopter appeared in the sky above them.
It passed overhead and a few seconds later dropped its load of water on the fire front.
Some of the flames sizzled and died, but not enough of them.
‘We won’t be able to stop it crossing the road,’ one of his colleagues called from several metres away.
‘We’ve got to try.’ Ben glanced up at the sky.
The sun was still low in the east and temperatures were already rising.
They had a long hot day ahead of them. Fires were easier to control when it was cooler, but this one wasn’t going to be easy in any way.
It had been burning for days and the beast was still hungry.
It wasn’t about to give up now. A change of wind direction would help, but only rain was going to kill it completely.
Ben raised his head. In between drifts of thick black smoke, the sky above him was brilliant blue and clear.
‘Ben, we need a refill.’
The tanker truck they drove carried about three thousand litres.
A drop in the ocean when fighting a big fire, but every bit helped.
‘You keep working here; bring that tree down.’ He pointed.
‘We don’t want it falling across the road.
Keep working on the firebreaks and I’ll refill.
I saw a homestead about two clicks back.
While I’m there, we can make sure they have evacuated. Bill, you’re with me.’
Leaving four of his men working on the roadside, Ben leaped into the cab of the truck and carefully turned it around. By law, rural properties were supposed to provide water tanks for firefighting crews. He hoped this owner had done what was required.
He swung the truck through the property gate and headed for a large water tank that sat next to a machinery shed. He parked as close as he could get and he and Bill jumped out. Thanking the gods that the tank was full, Ben and Bill got a hose connected and started pumping water into their truck.
‘Look after that; I’ll check the house.’
When he got there, Ben banged loudly on the door, but there was no answer. He walked around the back of the building and saw movement. Two men were attaching hoses to a pump on the wall of a small dam. They saw him and sprinted over.
‘You need water?’
‘I do. One of my guys is already on it.’
The older of the two men nodded to the other and he set off around the house to help.
‘I’ve got pumps on the dam,’ the older man said. ‘And a hose on the house tank.’
Ben looked around. The house was well prepared. There were no trees close by, little grass and the roof seemed clear of dry leaves and bark.
‘It will come this way,’ Ben told him. ‘But you look ready.’
‘We are. This isn’t my first rodeo.’ The man’s dry and weather-beaten face cracked into a smile.
‘Listen to the alerts. If the word comes to evacuate—don’t hang about. Go.’
The man nodded and Ben turned away. There were other people more in need of his help.
As he walked back to the front of the house, he saw another appliance pull up next to his. In an instant, he recognised the firefighter who jumped down from the cab.
‘Hey, big brother.’
At the sound of Ben’s voice, Justin spun around. He strode over and pulled Ben into a quick bear hug.
‘Glad to see you too,’ Ben said.
The brothers stood at arm’s length. People had always struggled to tell them apart, but right now it would be harder than ever. Both were wearing grimy RFS uniforms, only the reflective panels visible in the shifting light, and their faces were dark with soot and sweat.
‘It’s rough out there,’ Justin said.
‘Sure is. My crew are north of here. Just came to fill up. We’re moving towards the top of the ridge.’
‘We’ve come up from the south. We had the second group from Wagtail Ridge with us, but they got pulled out to help one of the horse studs.’
‘They’re a good team.’
‘Yep. We got them trained in the nick of time.’
‘Have you heard any news from the Ridge? I know they have a shelter point set up there and all the townsfolk are helping out.’
‘I sent some bloke with an injured animal there. I figured either your Anna or our … our mother would be there to help.’
If Justin was surprised by Ben’s reference to their mother, he didn’t show it, for which Ben was very glad.
While talking, they had walked back to the water tank and the two waiting appliances. The four men of Justin’s crew were taking the chance to rest, while the water flowed into the tanker.
‘We’re full,’ Bill told Ben as he checked the hose was properly returned to its place. ‘Ready to move out.’
‘Right.’ Ben turned to Justin. ‘I need to get back to where my guys are.’ He lifted his head and tested the wind. ‘I think the wind’s changing.’
Justin nodded. ‘They said it might. Once we’re full, we’ll follow you to the top of the ridge.’
‘See you there. Be safe, big brother.’
‘Be safe.’
Ben and his companion climbed back into the cab of their vehicle and started to drive away. Ben took one last look in his rear-view mirror. His brother was standing still, watching him drive away.
***
Justin waited until Ben’s unit had reached the road and turned left, back towards the top of the ridge. The fire was getting closer. The smoke was even thicker now. He heard a radio call from the truck and walked back.
‘They’re telling us to pull out,’ one of his men said, his face creased with worry. ‘They want us to go back the way we came and meet up with another crew there.’
‘And let this burn to the top of the ridge?’
‘Yep.’
Justin nodded. That made sense. Once it reached the top of the ridge, the fire would falter. He turned to the resident who was helping resupply his unit.
‘It’s going to come this way. If you’re going to leave, now is the time.’
‘My dad and I. We’ve been through this before. We’re prepared. We’ll stay and look after our home.’
Justin hesitated. The flames were shining brighter through the swirling smoke and an eerie red glow encompassed them. ‘All right. We’ve been ordered to move. Be careful.’
‘We will.’
Behind him, Paul was detaching the hose from the water tank. ‘We’re full.’
‘Okay. Let’s go.’
It only took a couple of minutes to batten down the appliance, get the crew back into the cab and get moving.
Justin drove back to the road and turned east, as instructed by the command centre.
Ahead, the fire had already jumped the road.
Flames were close on both sides and the heat was overwhelming.
Showers of wind-driven embers clattered against the metal sides of the truck and the windscreen.
The darkness of the smoke and the strange red glow all around was disorienting. It could be dusk or midday.
‘Get blankets over the windows,’ Justin instructed.
The men around him didn’t move. They were new to this, trainees he’d instructed just a few weeks ago. And they were scared. He could feel it. He had to show them the way. Show them he wasn’t afraid, even if he was.
‘Come on. This truck is built for exactly these conditions. Get those blankets up against the windows. It will cut the heat and protect us all should a window explode.’
This time the men followed his orders.
‘We’re lucky this is one of the newer trucks.’ Justin tried to keep his voice light. ‘We have the cabin protection spray system and a full tank. This fire is not gonna get the better of us. Not today.’
The heat was overwhelming. Sweat poured down Justin’s face as he fought to keep the appliance on the road.
The thick, choking smoke and the glare of the fire had cut visibility to a few metres.
The burning embers, driven by the wind, were raining down on their vehicle, adding to the roar of the fire and wind.
The trees were thicker here. On either side of them, tall trees were burning, creating a canyon of fire down which they were driving.
The swirling wind created by the blaze pushed at the truck, threatening to force it off the road.
They were driving through hell, and they all knew it.
‘Get on the radio and let them know our position and what the fire is doing,’ he instructed Dave, who was sitting next to him. ‘With this wind, it should blow past us and up the ridge.’
As the man reached for the radio, Justin heard a horrible noise. He knew instantly what it was, even before he saw the burning tree toppling towards them.