"Come on Lombardo, we need to keep looking for Bosco," Jimmy said
grabbing his fellow firefighters arm as other members of the squad came
into the room they were in with the line.
As the others started dousing the flames with the water Doherty and Lombardo squeezed back past them continuing their search. They paused when they came to the sets of stairs - one leading up and one leading down.
"Do we split up," Lombardo asked him?
"No," Jimmy answered quickly. "We need to stay together."
"Then which way. Up or down. We may not get a chance to go the other direction once we've checked the first."
"Lets go down," Doherty said starting down the stairs. He didn't need to look back to see if Lombardo was following him. They had worked together to long.
As they descended the stairs they could tell that some of the smoke in the building was rising up from the basement. It was very likely that they would find fire in the basement too.
"Hey Jimmy," Lombardo called up as they approached the bottom of the stairs. "The smoke down here is darker. Something different is burning than what is burning upstairs."
Jimmy hadn't been paying attention but now that Lombardo had pointed it out he could see that he was right.
"I don't like this," Jimmy said.
He stepped off the last stair and took a look around the basement. It was one big room with cement floors and wall. The ceiling had wooden rafters for support of the hardwood that made up the floor of the first floor. Jimmy saw several wooden crates in one far corner and as he scanned the room he found the source of the fire.
In the far northeast corner he saw a ring of fire. Because the floor was cement Jimmy knew that something on the floor was burning not the floor itself. There was probably gasoline or something on the floor.
"Hey Lieu," Doherty said into his radio. He waited for a reply but didn't get one. "Lieu," he said trying again. "Damn," Doherty muttered. "Being down here must be messing with the signal," he commented to Lomabardo.
"I'll go out and get fire extinguishers," Lomabardo said.
Jimmy just nodded as he turned to look back at the fire.
Sully, Davis and Lieu could here sirens approaching. Looking down the street toward the sound they saw a police car approaching. As it screeched to a halt, Sully saw Sgt. Christopher getting out.
"And the fun begins," Sully muttered to Davis as he started walking toward the sergeant. He didn't like dealing with the young hotshot normally. Dealing with him in this situation was going to be no fun at all.
"What we got," Christopher asked as Sully fell into step beside him.
"Fire Company got a report of a fire and found 55-David sitting out front of the building. 55-David had been called to this location nearly three hours earlier to check on a report of an unknown dispute. Davis and I came to check up on him when we realized there had been no communication from him since he initially responded to the call. Fire was already here when we arrived."
By this time they were back to the place where Sully had left Davis and Lieu standing. They had now been joined by Kim Zombrano and Alex Taylor who had been called to the scene as soon as there was the possibility of someone trapped in the building.
"What's the situation with the fire and search," Christopher asked Lieu.
"We're starting to get the fire on the first floor under control. Doherty and Lombardo are still searching for your missing officer." Lieu told him. "How come no body even thought about checking up on him for almost three hours?"
"Because Boscorelli is a goof off anyway. Its not unusual to not hear from him most of the shift," Christopher told him. "I actually wouldn't be surprised if he isn't even in this building."
"Where do you think he is in. Hiding near by watching all this take place," Ty said sarcastically. "Or maybe he left the squad here and went on a coffee break."
"Anything is possible with Boscorelli," Christopher snapped.
"I don't believe this," Davis muttered walking away.
Sully watched his partner walk a short distance away and then turned back toward the building. He knew how Davis felt. As much as he couldn't stand Bosco, he gave him more credit than what Christopher was. Number one, he wanted a coffee break Bosco would have called himself out for some reason. Number two, not even Bosco would stand around watching this situation from hiding. Something was definitely wrong and he had no doubt that Christopher knew that too.
At that point Lombardo came rushing out of the front door of the building.
"I need the fire extinguishers in there." Lombardo said quickly rushing toward them and the fire truck. "We have a second fire in the basement. It's a gasoline or oil fire."
"Why didn't you call it in," Lieu asked.
"Jimmy tried. The radio isn't getting through from down there," Lombardo told him as he took the extinguishers that D.K. handed him.
"Any sign of Bosco," Kim asked.
"No not yet," Lombardo said as he ran back toward the building. This time with D.K. following close behind him with a second fire extinguisher.
Jimmy continued to stare at the fire after Lombardo left to get an extinguisher. There wasn't much else he could do for the time being. Then as the flames went down a little in one spot he thought he saw something behind the flames.
"What the hell," Jimmy muttered to himself as he took a few steps closer to the fire. As the flames moved again he could vaguely make out the shape of a person lying on the floor on the other side of flames.
"Bosco," he yelled not being able to make out many details through the flames and the smoke. He wished that Lombardo would hurry up.
Sounds on the steps behind him made him look back to see Lombardo and D.K. hurrying down the stairs.
"We have a victim on the other side of the flames," Doherty called to them rushing to take one of the extinguishers from Lombardo. They didn't have any time to lose. They had to get this fire under control quickly in order to get to the victim. "I think its Bosco but I can't be sure."
The three firefighters quickly turned their attention to the fire in front of them. Lombardo and D.K. could now see the figure that Doherty had found. As they tried to get the flames under control they saw a burning piece of wood fall from the ceiling to the floor.
"Damn, the fire from the first floor is burning through," Lombardo said stating what the other two had already figured out. Before this Lombardo hadn't realized that they were directly under the first floor fire.
As soon as he had a break in the flames Doherty rushed toward the victim leaving the other two fighting the flames. He quickly put out the piece of burning wood that was nearby and then sat the extinguisher on the ground next to the wall. As he did so he could tell that the victim was indeed Bosco.
"Oh, hell," Jimmy muttered as he took in the situation and the police officers condition.
As the others started dousing the flames with the water Doherty and Lombardo squeezed back past them continuing their search. They paused when they came to the sets of stairs - one leading up and one leading down.
"Do we split up," Lombardo asked him?
"No," Jimmy answered quickly. "We need to stay together."
"Then which way. Up or down. We may not get a chance to go the other direction once we've checked the first."
"Lets go down," Doherty said starting down the stairs. He didn't need to look back to see if Lombardo was following him. They had worked together to long.
As they descended the stairs they could tell that some of the smoke in the building was rising up from the basement. It was very likely that they would find fire in the basement too.
"Hey Jimmy," Lombardo called up as they approached the bottom of the stairs. "The smoke down here is darker. Something different is burning than what is burning upstairs."
Jimmy hadn't been paying attention but now that Lombardo had pointed it out he could see that he was right.
"I don't like this," Jimmy said.
He stepped off the last stair and took a look around the basement. It was one big room with cement floors and wall. The ceiling had wooden rafters for support of the hardwood that made up the floor of the first floor. Jimmy saw several wooden crates in one far corner and as he scanned the room he found the source of the fire.
In the far northeast corner he saw a ring of fire. Because the floor was cement Jimmy knew that something on the floor was burning not the floor itself. There was probably gasoline or something on the floor.
"Hey Lieu," Doherty said into his radio. He waited for a reply but didn't get one. "Lieu," he said trying again. "Damn," Doherty muttered. "Being down here must be messing with the signal," he commented to Lomabardo.
"I'll go out and get fire extinguishers," Lomabardo said.
Jimmy just nodded as he turned to look back at the fire.
Sully, Davis and Lieu could here sirens approaching. Looking down the street toward the sound they saw a police car approaching. As it screeched to a halt, Sully saw Sgt. Christopher getting out.
"And the fun begins," Sully muttered to Davis as he started walking toward the sergeant. He didn't like dealing with the young hotshot normally. Dealing with him in this situation was going to be no fun at all.
"What we got," Christopher asked as Sully fell into step beside him.
"Fire Company got a report of a fire and found 55-David sitting out front of the building. 55-David had been called to this location nearly three hours earlier to check on a report of an unknown dispute. Davis and I came to check up on him when we realized there had been no communication from him since he initially responded to the call. Fire was already here when we arrived."
By this time they were back to the place where Sully had left Davis and Lieu standing. They had now been joined by Kim Zombrano and Alex Taylor who had been called to the scene as soon as there was the possibility of someone trapped in the building.
"What's the situation with the fire and search," Christopher asked Lieu.
"We're starting to get the fire on the first floor under control. Doherty and Lombardo are still searching for your missing officer." Lieu told him. "How come no body even thought about checking up on him for almost three hours?"
"Because Boscorelli is a goof off anyway. Its not unusual to not hear from him most of the shift," Christopher told him. "I actually wouldn't be surprised if he isn't even in this building."
"Where do you think he is in. Hiding near by watching all this take place," Ty said sarcastically. "Or maybe he left the squad here and went on a coffee break."
"Anything is possible with Boscorelli," Christopher snapped.
"I don't believe this," Davis muttered walking away.
Sully watched his partner walk a short distance away and then turned back toward the building. He knew how Davis felt. As much as he couldn't stand Bosco, he gave him more credit than what Christopher was. Number one, he wanted a coffee break Bosco would have called himself out for some reason. Number two, not even Bosco would stand around watching this situation from hiding. Something was definitely wrong and he had no doubt that Christopher knew that too.
At that point Lombardo came rushing out of the front door of the building.
"I need the fire extinguishers in there." Lombardo said quickly rushing toward them and the fire truck. "We have a second fire in the basement. It's a gasoline or oil fire."
"Why didn't you call it in," Lieu asked.
"Jimmy tried. The radio isn't getting through from down there," Lombardo told him as he took the extinguishers that D.K. handed him.
"Any sign of Bosco," Kim asked.
"No not yet," Lombardo said as he ran back toward the building. This time with D.K. following close behind him with a second fire extinguisher.
Jimmy continued to stare at the fire after Lombardo left to get an extinguisher. There wasn't much else he could do for the time being. Then as the flames went down a little in one spot he thought he saw something behind the flames.
"What the hell," Jimmy muttered to himself as he took a few steps closer to the fire. As the flames moved again he could vaguely make out the shape of a person lying on the floor on the other side of flames.
"Bosco," he yelled not being able to make out many details through the flames and the smoke. He wished that Lombardo would hurry up.
Sounds on the steps behind him made him look back to see Lombardo and D.K. hurrying down the stairs.
"We have a victim on the other side of the flames," Doherty called to them rushing to take one of the extinguishers from Lombardo. They didn't have any time to lose. They had to get this fire under control quickly in order to get to the victim. "I think its Bosco but I can't be sure."
The three firefighters quickly turned their attention to the fire in front of them. Lombardo and D.K. could now see the figure that Doherty had found. As they tried to get the flames under control they saw a burning piece of wood fall from the ceiling to the floor.
"Damn, the fire from the first floor is burning through," Lombardo said stating what the other two had already figured out. Before this Lombardo hadn't realized that they were directly under the first floor fire.
As soon as he had a break in the flames Doherty rushed toward the victim leaving the other two fighting the flames. He quickly put out the piece of burning wood that was nearby and then sat the extinguisher on the ground next to the wall. As he did so he could tell that the victim was indeed Bosco.
"Oh, hell," Jimmy muttered as he took in the situation and the police officers condition.