Rescuing Christmas by Nancy Lee Badger

Author:Nancy Lee Badger [Badger, Nancy Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nancy Lee Badger
Published: 2019-10-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Where was everyone? Ellie had taken her eyes off the operation for five minutes in order to get a cup of coffee. What was going on? Through thick black smoke she spotted the men manning the fire truck and its pumps, but several hoses snaked around to the side of the house. The old farmhouse had weathered wood siding that used to be white, and looked like it was built in the mid eighteen hundreds. The roof had to be at least thirty years old. The barn adjoining the house tilted about fifteen degrees, but it was their job to make sure no cinders hopped onto its roof.

“There they are!” she cried, as a great spray of water cascaded over the barn’s roof, another hit the rear of the house, sending a light waterfall of mist onto her face and helmet. “Dear God! That’s brisk!”

Ellie was pleased the weather had grown cold, only because she feared that the Christmas Festival was still at risk. Many members of the auxiliary made sure to stop and chat with her on Main Street. Al wanted to take a chance of having some type of abbreviated festival. “It’s tradition,” they all had said.

She didn’t want to disappoint them, but there was so much in limbo. She was still trying to figure out a way to make money from Greg’s Christmas trees. Too many ideas floated around her head, but she needed to get her mind on the fire.

Several firefighters trotted out of the front door. Every one of them forgot to tell her they were entering the building! She would bring it up at the next training session, because keeping track might save their lives. She didn’t feel up to a big confrontation. Not today. Someone’s home was burning.

Willard sidled up to her, chewing on his bottom lip. He was one of the men who’d entered the building without telling her. Pick your battles, she thought, and waited for him to speak.

“The fire hasn’t reached the walls, but the attic is filled with smoke. I suggest we start chopping holes. That roof ain’t worth much, anyway.”

“Understood, but it’s still someone’s home, so keep the venting to a minimum. Take two men and get it done,” she said, and wasn’t surprised he said nothing further. As he trotted over to the others that had gone inside earlier without permission, she made a mental note of who was where. It wouldn’t do to lose a firefighter because she lost track of him.

Sean was talking to the men controlling the pumps. She’d noticed long ago that if there was work to be done, he’d find an excuse to talk instead.

That ends today.

“Sean! Prop the extension ladder against the side of the building. In the center, near the peak. Men are going to start venting the roof.” The easiest way to cut holes in a roof that needed venting was with a chainsaw. She suspected the men would use axes, since the pitch of the roof was steep.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.