But between them and the coast they were, once again, confronting the heart of the fire. The smoke towered thundercloud tall above them, a study in whites and grays. For moments, fire-driven wind current would tear open the smoke curtain and a view of flame would flash forth. A Bombardier slashed across Cal’s sight line, miniscule against such flames.
He’d seen many hundreds of forest fires over the last ten years and thirty or so that truly deserved the title of wildfire. There was no literal distinction, but that was how they talked about them on the crews.
This particular beast was a major player in the wildfire category of hotshot-speak.
The chaotic winds were tearing trees from the ground and heaving them skyward, not merely tossing them aside as the Santa Barbara blaze had done. T
