Dan
The heat wasintense but still bearable. Hope flickered to life in my chest. It appeared to be a surface fire, and with few trees and no bushland between Tom’s place and the flames, the embers weren’t spiralling out of control. The fire was low as it crawled across the grass, something similar to how a wave petered out and swept over the shore.
But there was no pulling back on this one. No tide to offer relief and keep it contained.
Instead, there was us and the sodden ground, which finally seemed to be slowing the spread a little. The closer it edged towards Tom’s land, the less fuel it had to feed its flames.
“Is it me or is it slowing down?” Ross asked from a few metres away.
“It’s not you,” I called to him, not taking my eyes off the fire.
“That’s good, right?” His voice was closer, and I risked a look, my lips twitching at the ancient protective gear he wore.
I refocussed on the flames and tilted my head when I heard one of the pumps cut out.
“I’ll get it,” Ross said immediately, racing off before I even had a chance to respond. That was fine by me. The diesel and the dam were in the opposite direction of the fire.
“The wind’s calmed,” Craig said as he stepped beside me. He’d just finished moving some of the pipe to drench a different part of the paddock. The wetter and cooler the ground, the better.
“Yeah.” I nodded. While hope was alive, my adrenalin remained as anxiety gnawed at my gut. We’d all been working our arses off to prepare and prevent. Tiredness threatened the edges of my vision. A crash and burn was in my future, and I’d be grateful for it. It meant this time we’d won. We just weren’t quite there yet.
With the bushfire seemingly now contained and our focus on the grassfire, visibility was a little clearer. Smoke remained heavy but not quite as dark.
“Here.”
A drink appeared before me, and I gratefully took it from Craig. “Thanks.” I unscrewed the top and gulped down the water.
“I’m going to fill the water truck back up, just in case,” Craig explained. The truck was by far the most incredible vehicle Tom had. It meant we’d been able to head further than the pipes could reach and was one of the reasons why the fire was calming.
I nodded. “Stay safe.” I waved him off and continued shifting the pipework from the opposite side of the paddock Craig had been working.
It was easier without the flow of water, and honestly, with the way everything was going, this section would get some seriously healthy grass soon enough, as the fire seemed to be holding off.
With a refill of the truck, Craig and Tom should be able to secure the property completely and smother the last of the grassfire.
I heaved up the pipe and turned to hold it behind me so I could drag it to where I wanted it. The weight was a struggle, especially with my shaky limbs from too much exertion and not enough sleep. With a grunt, I hauled it with me, continuing walking as far as the pipe would let me and to where I spotted the first piece of dry grass. Breathing heavily, I sucked in a deep breath, trying to regulate myself. I winced and coughed, ready to roll my eyes at myself for the action.
I could really have done with my breathing apparatus, but that had gone back to the station to be restocked when I’d left the crew a few hours earlier.
Pipework in place, it was ready to go. I stilled, realizing the sound of the closest pump should have been going by now. It wasn’t that far away. Unease that Ross had stumbled across a problem hit me hard. With nothing to do here but wait for water and worry about Ross, I hightailed it towards the dam. I expected he would have grabbed the ATV to haul the diesel to the pump, which meant I’d have to go by foot.
As I passed by the shed, I registered the ATV was gone. I jogged in the direction of the dam, where I’d hoped to hear the sound of a growling diesel engine. No sound travelled towards me. I focussed on the direction of where the dam was, looking for a glimpse of Ross. There was no sign of the ATV or Ross. Before long, I reached the dam wall, out of breath and my nerves rattled.
Where the hell was he?
A quick scan around me held no answers. Knowing he wouldn’t have headed elsewhere without a legit reason, I considered my options. There would have been no reason to move beyond this dam. Nothing more than pastureland lay in that direction. Turning back towards the fire as I stood on the dam wall, I scanned to the right. Beyond the house, a flash of movement had me pausing and focussing hard. I held my breath for one beat, then two, before I finally exhaled once a shape formed.
With no idea why he’d ventured away from his task, I could do nothing but head towards him. He hadn’t left the fuel here, hadn’t been here from the lack of fresh tyre tracks. While the initial urgency of the grassfire wasn’t completely over, we were no longer on high alert. But still, the pump still needed to be started.
Wishing like hell I didn’t have to run made no difference. There was nothing but my tired feet that would get me to him. I didn’t like that he was closer to where the dwindling fire was in the distance. Nor did I like that smoke obscured my view of him.
I pumped my arms faster, wanting to get to him quickly, check he was safe, and then get the final soaking of the ground sorted.
Maybe I could then finally head home, ideally after a goodbye kiss from the pain in my arse known as Ross, and with a confirmed date for tomorrow.
Within shouting distance at last, I hollered, “Ross, what are you doing?” I could just make out his messy hair. He also no longer wore his protective jacket.
He angled his head towards me, his eyes wide. A wince followed by a grimace lit his face along with him mouthing, “Sorry.”
