Josie drove two miles toward downtown Artemis, down the side road that ran perpendicular to the firebreak, and found Doug’s fire truck. Another group of firemen were using a water tank from a brush truck to fight the flames from the fire’s flank, basically squeezing it in from the sides and preventing it from spreading any wider. They approached Doug who stood at the edge of the road, talking on his cell phone. Once he finished he walked toward them, shaking his head. “We’ve got every road between here and Mexico closed. I just hope everyone got out of the south central part of the county.” “I hate to add this to your worries, but I couldn’t get Mike Beeman to budge.” Doug shook his head, clearly angry. “He’ll put my firefighters in danger trying to save his sorry ass.” Doug ran his hands over his face as if trying to wipe away the thought. “I’ll do what I can.” “What about the firebreak?” said Dell. Doug held a hand in the air and tilted it. “The mudflats are in trouble up north, but this firebreak may save downtown.
