‘Thanks.’ Carol drove away. Her hands were still shaking. It helped to know Ben was all right. But what about Justin? Her sons had always done everything together. They always had each other’s backs. They were safe together.
But this fire had parted them, and Carol was scared.
CHAPTER
34
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.’
