When you have fifteen years on the job, you stop calling fires "angry" or "monstrous." You start thinking in terms of BTUs, fuel loads, and structural degradation. That July night, we were responding to a confirmed structure fire in a 1920s-era balloon-frame apartment complex. Balloon frame construction is a nightmare; the wall studs run continuous from the foundation to the roof, acting as wooden chimneys that funnel fire upward unchecked. By the time my engine company arrived, the incident commander had already struck a third alarm. My job that night was search and rescue, specifically targeting the fourth floor where a "civilian unaccounted for" report had originated.
I need you to understand the physics of the environment before I explain the anomaly. I was wearing full PPE - turnout coat, pants, boots, hood, helmet, and gloves - adding roughly 60 pounds of weight. On my back was a Scott Safety SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus), and in my hand, I carried a FLIR K55 Thermal Imaging Camera (TIC). The TIC is essential; it interprets infrared radiation to help us see through smoke and identify heat signatures.
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