Summary

Chapter 16 reveals that over 88,000 people have been evacuated from Fort McMurray without any injuries or deaths. Unfortunately, Fire 009 was still growing and headed to those parts of the city left standing. Continued high temperatures made perfect conditions for the fire, and firefighters remained grim. Even Fire Hall No. 5 was being hosed down. Next, the airport had to move operations. Then, pilots blanketed the fire with four huge drops of red fire retardant. Reinforcements from all over Canada were arriving to try to relieve exhausted firefighters. Using the KnoxBox system (a technological wonder that allowed police and firefighters to enter commercial buildings), firefighters were able to enter a closed supermarket to obtain much-needed drinks and energy bars. They left IOUs for the borrowed items.

Chapter 17 opens with Vaillant's questions for Vyto Babrauskas, a physicist and expert on modern house fire behavior. Vaillant wanted an...