The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 324: Incredible, We Saved the Dog and the Flag]

A strong wind blew, causing the flag on a low flagpole to ripple with the stars and stripes dancing in the breeze. Below, flames licked closer, threatening to consume the flag at any moment.

A small border collie dashed out of nowhere, barking incessantly at the fiery scene. From the night before until now, Fire Chief Karen Crowley had come to terms with the reality that most of the female firefighters she had recruited were unworthy in the face of such an intense blaze; they struggled to contribute effectively in these difficult conditions.

However, as a passionate advocate for women's rights, she was determined not to give up easily or abandon the banner of feminism. Karen called upon the most reliable team among the female firefighters and pointed towards the flag. She directed Team Leader Leah, saying, "Take your team over there, save that flag and the little collie, go now!"

Leah nodded, rallying her team members. They donned their masks and grabbed fire extinguishers as they raced towards the flagpole. The six of them coordinated perfectly; four forged ahead, using their extinguishers to eliminate stray sparks, covering Leah as she rushed to the flagpole and untied the flag, now riddled with dozens of holes from flying embers.

Another teammate gently cradled the little collie, offering words of comfort. They burst out of the fire zone, triumphantly returning. The other female firefighters spontaneously gathered along both sides of the road, watching the heroes they had rescued, clapping enthusiastically.

...

In front of the cameras from the Los Angeles Times and NBC, Chief Karen Crowley personally approached Leah, embracing her while ordering, "Everyone, take off your masks and turn to the left."

The six-member team led by Leah removed their masks, looked into the camera lenses, and stood composed. Karen guided the team to their fire truck, pulling back the damaged flag alongside Leah to showcase the greatness of female firefighters.

A reporter from Fox News, along with Garcia and a few others, remained silent, documenting everything with cameras. "Well done!" members from a nearby women's rights organization rushed over, applauding, "You're amazing! You're heroes! You are true saviors!"

...

Los Angeles was ablaze in more places than just this one. Chief Karen got in her vehicle, leaving the situation in Leah's capable hands. For a moment, the atmosphere was jubilant, even putting the Hollywood stars -- known for their dramatic flair -- in an awkward position as they fidgeted with their feet.

Suddenly, a Jeep Cherokee burst from the fiery area. With a screeching halt, it stopped near the fire truck. A 16-year-old blonde girl jumped out of the passenger seat -- it was Ashley Olsen.

Panicked, she scrambled towards the media cameras and Leah, pleading, "My sister, my sister Elizabeth is trapped in the house! Please, you have to save her, hurry!"

Mary, who had just exited the driver's seat, was in tears, "Please help! We need someone to rescue her!"

Leah and her team exchanged glances, looking towards the distant burning home, but no one responded, remaining silent.

Desperate, Ashley's eyes welled with tears, but she quickly regained her composure, shouting, "Whoever helps us, I'll give you $200,000!"

The women still didn't budge. They certainly wanted that money, but what could they do -- bring someone out in such dangerous conditions? It was ridiculous.

Yet three male firefighters stepped up, quickly preparing themselves as they dashed into the flames.

In another inferno, faced with the relentless fire and fierce winds, the department could only retreat, regardless of gender.

Harley Wayne, a reporter from Fox News, managed to sidle up to Fire Chief Karen, loudly questioning, "Doesn't the fire department have planes and helicopters to fight the flames?"

Karen shot a frosty glare at the blonde, dirt-covered woman.

...

The wildfire caused atmospheric changes, and winds in northern Los Angeles intensified. All the hills of Hollywood ignited, with flames consuming the peaks of Mount Lee and rolling down towards the valleys. The enormous "Hollywood" sign was charred black, and several letters collapsed under the ongoing fire.

At the helicopter landing zone behind the Fire Department's headquarters, Susan carried her briefcase as she followed Deputy Chief Michelle out of the building.

They entered the hangar and met Alvis, the leader of the aerial firefighting team. Michelle inquired, "When can the planes be repaired?"

Alvis was not in the mood to engage with the women who had pilfered maintenance funds and reduced some benefits, but given the urgency, he bypassed that issue, pointing to two helicopters. "The engines and rotor shafts for Copter One and Copter Two have issues. I reported the need for funding last year, but City Hall suppressed the request, leaving the aircraft unserviced."

Michelle's expression darkened, interpreting his remarks as a personal affront.

Alvis continued with brutal honesty, "To send these two out puts the pilots and crew at risk; if there's a crash, the consequences would be dire."

He pointed to Copter Three, "This one was only a minor issue, but due to delayed funding, it became serious; we're still waiting on necessary components..."

Michelle replied, "I'll expedite a budget for it."

Alvis noted, "From ordering to completion, it will take at least a week."

Frustrated, Michelle left, unable to do more.

...

Meanwhile, Susan recorded everything, capturing a stark contrast to the organized fire department she had joined.

...

The chaos inside the department was palpable. Compared to the Fire Chief, who seemed more interested in publicity stunts with the media, Michelle diligently fulfilled her duties and managed to contact the fire department's only fixed-wing aircraft.

At a suburban airport, two fixed-wing firefighting planes owned by the fire department were parked there -- one in long-term maintenance and the other ready for missions.

The pilots and crew inspected the planes, and ground personnel loaded fire retardant purchased from China into the aircraft belly.

Just before dusk, the planes took off smoothly, following Michelle's orders to head to the nearest Hollywood Hills fire scene.

The pilot, with over 15 years of experience, didn't dare get too close to the inferno, but quickly located the interface between the wildfire and residential neighborhoods.

Confirming the ground crowd had been evacuated, the pilot brought the plane overhead and opened the release hatch.

The red fire retardant poured down, creating the appearance of a torrential red rain as it followed the plane's flight path.

Initially, the retardant seemed to slightly contain the flames, but moments later, the fire surged higher, burning even more fiercely.

The plane retreated, dropping retardant from the mountains down towards the suburb.

The blaze clawed its way towards homes, igniting wooden structures in swathes and spiraling out of control.

"My God, what have I done?" the pilot lamented.

He quickly reacted, yelling over the radio, "The retardant purchased from China is defective! Do not use it again!"

What was supposed to be a fire retardant had instead turned into an accelerant!

...

News reached the fire department, and Michelle called to question the Chinese company.

After an internal inquiry, the Chinese company concluded that workers might have confused the accelerant for the retardant during packing.

No one, of course, wanted to publicly acknowledge such an incident; the Chinese representatives adamantly denied any wrongdoing.

---

As night fell, the winds grew fiercer, and the blaze truly got out of hand, with multiple communities in the northern Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu's western slopes, and around Hollywood Hills threatened by the inferno.

The initial overwhelming confidence displayed by the three female executives in the fire department, coupled with their lack of professional response, led Antonio -- in Asia -- to mistakenly believe the wildfire was completely manageable.

After all, wildfires were quite routine for LA.

The flames roared into communities, forcing over 2,000 people to evacuate.

---

The newsroom at Twitter pulled an all-nighter, churning out breaking news about the LA wildfires.

On the rooftop platform, Hawke and Edward raised binoculars, observing conditions in Santa Monica to the south.

The night sky to the north turned a brilliant red.

Hawke lowered his binoculars, asking, "What's the response from Compton?"

Edward had reached out to Michael just moments earlier, stating, "Many folks are hearing about the evacuations; they've mobilized overnight. It's the best chance for free looting!"

He flashed a wide grin, "DaShawn just called; many homeless from Hollywood are heading to the hills."

Impressed, Hawke remarked, "They really are skilled at this."

After pondering for a moment, Edward added, "In events like this, there are always more people rushing in while the avenues for looting are limited."

Hawke replied, "I believe in their talent; without avenues for obtaining goods, they'll create their own."

Edward nodded, "Trust me on this, my African American brothers possess exceptional talent and an astonishing creativity that astounds the mind."

...

Returning to the office, Hawke contacted Campos for an update on the situation.

The fire department was firing a large number of male seasonal firefighters and recruiting a workforce with 35% female representation. The leadership was now entirely female, benefits for male firefighters were slashed, and in light of the negative ramifications of the 9/11 firefighter incident, along with critical water shortages, the fire was spiraling out of control.

...

Hawke was still on the phone when Brian raced in.

He entered the office, waiting for Hawke to hang up, before asking, "Are we ready to push the second phase?"

Hawke replied, "The extent of the fire isn't sufficient yet; we need at least 150 square kilometers of burned area."

Brian considered this, replying, "That's going to be tricky."

Hawke aimed for a target of at least 300 square kilometers.

*****

/Sayonara816.