From Chapter Seven - First Time Inside

The other firefighter about to go in with me was also new. As rookies, we had no business being inside together, but I had waited too long for this moment to complain. Taking the nozzle in my hands, we crawled inside. It was black to the floor with smoke, but there was no visible fire in the first room we entered. We worked our way in by feel, stopping so I could work on what felt like a door. Still zero visibility; the only sounds were the raspy rapid inhalation and exhalation of air through our mask face pieces. Prying for a minute or so, I got the door open and realized it was a kitchen cabinet. We pushed further in and through the doorway to the living room. This room was fully engulfed in flames. I opened the nozzle and started hitting it, whipping it in circles as I’d been taught. Damn, this is fun.