Chen Xiaofei divided the nine fire stations into four combat groups. The First Combat Group consisted of Phoenix Station, Luoxiangkou Station, and Sanning Station. Their primary mission was to contain the fire in Building B and rescue trapped civilians.
At that moment, Wang Meng, captain of Luoxiangkou Station, was leading his firefighters in rescuing people trapped on the upper floors using an aerial platform truck. Phoenix Station and Sanning Station were tasked with stopping the fire in Building A from spreading through the connecting structure into Building B, as well as searching for trapped people on the seventh floor and below.
The Second Combat Group also consisted of three stations. Their mission was to enter Building C, which was still under construction, and remove combustible materials. If necessary, they would establish a firebreak to prevent the flames from spreading.
The Third Combat Group consisted of one station. It would position two water cannons between Wenhui Mall and Mudan Mall to establish a defensive water barrier and prevent the fire from spreading to Mudan Mall.
The Fourth Combat Group consisted of one station and was responsible for ensuring an adequate water supply throughout the fireground.
One additional station would remain on standby as a mobile reserve, ready to reinforce the others whenever an unexpected situation arose.
Of all these assignments, the First Combat Group naturally faced the greatest danger and heaviest workload. Of its two main forces, Phoenix Station and Sanning Station faced the most perilous task, as they would be confronting the flames head-on.
Building A was already fully engulfed in a three-dimensional fire and was beyond saving. The most critical situation was now in Building B, which was connected to Building A by the seven-story passageway. The fire in Building B was barely under control and could flash over at any moment. It was the crucial high ground they had to secure in this firefighting battle. If they could contain the fire in Building B, they would effectively prevent the disaster from spreading any further.
Besides, large numbers of people were still trapped inside Building B.
Ren Yi discussed tactics with He Xun, the captain of Sanning Station.
“According to the security guards, the fire started in a stack of goods on the first floor of Building A, near the connecting passageway. There were a huge number of small stalls nearby, so the flames spread rapidly and climbed the staircases. The entire building was engulfed within a matter of minutes. At the same time, the fire spread through the passageway toward Building B. Some people ran downstairs to escape, while others fled upward and ended up trapped.”
Ren Yi looked at Building A, which had become a tower of flames, and Building B beside it, already severely affected by the fire. The entire seven-story connecting passageway was burning, while tongues of flame curling out of Building A’s windows kept licking at Building B.
At least half of Building B’s floors below the seventh were already burning. The eighth through thirteenth floors were also completely affected, but Chen Xiaofei had positioned a water cannon to spray downward from above, temporarily preventing the fire from spreading any higher.
Their primary target now was the first through seventh floors of Building B, directly connected to Building A by the passageway.
Ren Yi studied the building plans.
“I think we should deploy another mobile water cannon to spray the connecting passageway from outside, cutting off the fire’s spread from Building A into Building B. Then we’ll enter Building B through a south-facing window on the seventh floor, assess the interior conditions, and begin search-and-rescue operations and firefighting.”
He Xun shook his head. “Before you arrived, the chief of staff was already considering adding another water cannon between Buildings A and B. But we don’t have enough water, so we only set up one.”
“Is the water supply that bad?”
“It’s not looking good at all.” He Xun gestured toward the fireground diagram. “There are four fire hydrants around the mall and another four municipal hydrants nearby. The mall’s four hydrants weren’t maintained properly, so every damn one of them is frozen solid. The four municipal ones work, but their pipes are only 300 millimeters in diameter, and we lose pressure over the distance. They can’t deliver enough water. Right now, we’re relying mainly on a relay system using water tankers. Captain Chen has also requisitioned twelve municipal water-spraying trucks. Even so, we’re barely supplying three water cannons and several hose lines.”
“What about the hydrants inside the mall?”
He Xun gave a bitter smile. “Wang Meng said some work and some don’t. It’s a matter of luck.”
Ren Yi’s brows knitted together, his expression darkening.
In northern China, securing an adequate water supply at a fireground during winter was always a major challenge. Beijing wasn’t even among the coldest places, but once winter arrived, every station had to winterize and maintain the fire hydrants in its jurisdiction. They also notified all designated high-risk facilities to maintain their own hydrants. But they couldn’t supervise every single business and building, so firefighters frequently encountered situations like this: when they needed water to fight a fire, the hydrants were frozen into solid lumps of ice.
Unwilling to give up, Ren Yi pressed the button on his radio.
“Captain Chen, what’s the current water supply situation? We need another water cannon to suppress the fire in the connecting passageway.”
Chen Xiaofei responded almost immediately. “The wind is blowing north, and Mudan Mall is in serious danger. We can’t pull back either of the two water cannons. I’m waiting for the municipal water-spraying trucks. Once they arrive, I’ll give you another water cannon.”
“How much longer?”
“They should arrive in stages over the next ten to thirty minutes.”
Ren Yi stared at the raging inferno. Those thirty minutes could well determine whether Building B still had any hope of being saved.
He sighed and discussed the situation with He Xun. “If we don’t stop the fire in the connecting passageway, it won’t matter how hard we fight the flames inside Building B. We can’t afford to wait that long.”
He Xun nodded. “But without a water cannon, there’s no way we can put out the fire in the passageway one floor at a time.”
Ren Yi stared at the flames, thinking hard.
“Bring down that high-pressure water cannon and have it suppress the fire in the connecting passageway first. Have Wang Meng deploy three hose lines from the fifteenth floor to temporarily take over suppressing the fire on the upper floors. We only need ten minutes.”
“It’s worth a try.”
Ren Yi was just about to discuss the plan with Chen Xiaofei when he watched helplessly as the water jet from the elevated cannon drooped from the sky like a wilting flower.
They had run out of water.
“Fuck!” He Xun grabbed his hair in frustration. “We’re out of water.”
They heard Chen Xiaofei’s furious roar coming from the temporary command post nearby.
Soon afterward, Chen Xiaofei ordered the mobile reserve station to enter Mudan Mall immediately and deploy four hose lines from its windows to block the spreading fire. One of the water cannons would then be repositioned between Buildings A and B to spray the upper floors.
Ren Yi could no longer ask for another water cannon. It was clear that even supplying the two they already had was proving extremely difficult. The water shortage was far worse than he had imagined.
He gritted his teeth. “We have to get this fire under control before the water-spraying trucks arrive.”
He repeatedly studied the fire-safety plans until he finally spotted something useful.
“He Xun, look. Isn’t this a fire shutter?”
He Xun glanced over. “Yes. There were supposed to be fire barriers near the connecting passageway between Buildings A and B. Why didn’t they work?”
“The fire shutters either haven’t been maintained for years, or they aren’t linked to the fire alarm system. If we can manually lower the fire shutters in Building B, we can hold the fire back for a while.”
“Then we need to determine what’s wrong with them first.”
“Go contact the person in charge. We’ll—”
“Ren Yi!”
A voice suddenly called from behind him.
Ren Yi turned around.
It was Yan Jue.
“What are you doing here?!” Ren Yi asked in surprise.
“Headquarters sent our aerial platform truck over.”
“Your station has a hundred-meter platform truck?” Ren Yi asked, a little enviously.
Whether a station received an ultra-high aerial platform truck depended on how many high-rise buildings were in its jurisdiction. Having just a few wasn’t enough to justify one, because those trucks were ridiculously expensive. Phoenix Station served an old urban district without many high-rises. Yan Jue’s Xijiao Station, on the other hand, covered an area with numerous large factories and had therefore been equipped with quite a lot of advanced equipment.
“Yeah. We rarely take this truck out, though.” Yan Jue looked gravely at the building swallowed by raging flames. “What’s the situation?”
Ren Yi quickly explained, “The biggest problem is the water shortage. We want to attack the fire in the connecting passageway, but we don’t have a water cannon to cover us. We’re trying to figure out how to lower the fire shutters.”
“I’ll cover you.” Yan Jue’s eyes shone brightly in the darkness. “Our truck carries forty tons of water. We can spare two high-pressure hose lines for you.”
“That’s great!”
Ren Yi punched him in the chest.
“Wait while I organize the deployment. He Xun, how many people do you have available? Let’s divide them into teams.”
Because traffic was being diverted around Wenhui Mall, Gong Yingxian had parked his car a long way from the scene and walked the rest of the distance. He had only managed to get through the cordon by showing his police credentials.
As soon as he arrived, he saw Ren Yi and Yan Jue talking seriously. There was an unmistakable air around them that seemed to tell everyone else to keep their distance.
As far as Gong Yingxian knew, Yan Jue’s jurisdiction was a long way from here. He hadn’t expected to run into this man—the last person he wanted to see—even at a place like this.
But this wasn’t the time to get jealous.
He hurried over. “Ren Yi, how’s the situation?”
Ren Yi was momentarily startled to see him. “Yingxian, stay away from the building. It’s dangerous here.”
Yan Jue frowned. “Officer, this isn’t a place you should be.”
Gong Yingxian didn’t even spare Yan Jue a proper glance.
“I suspect this fire may involve arson.”
“This is a firefighting operation, not a crime scene. Please leave and don’t interfere with our work.” Yan Jue walked over. “Xiao Wang, escort this officer out.”
Gong Yingxian slowly turned to face him and stopped directly in front of him. He looked at Yan Jue coldly, his expression frozen over like ice.
“This scene is very likely to be a crime scene. I’m not leaving. Do you dare take responsibility for the consequences if the police lose their chance to examine the scene in its initial state?”
“Do you dare take responsibility for the consequences if you delay our firefighting efforts?”
“What the hell is going on with you two? Stop making trouble!” Ren Yi snapped impatiently. “Yan Jue, go get those hose lines ready. Yingxian, if you’re going to stay here, make sure you keep yourself safe and don’t obstruct the rescue personnel.”
Both Yan Jue and Gong Yingxian looked dissatisfied. But Ren Yi’s expression was hard and resolute, completely unlike his usual joking, easygoing self. In the end, they both swallowed their objections.
Gao Ge was organizing the teams. Ren Yi jogged over and spotted Li Sa at the back of the line. He beckoned to her.
“Come here.”
Li Sa took a few steps forward and stopped in front of him.
Ren Yi gripped her slender shoulders and looked directly into her eyes.
“I originally hoped that your first time entering a fireground would be somewhere relatively safe. Instead, you’ve landed in a once-in-five-years inferno. For the operation ahead, you must obey orders completely. Not just mine, either. Everyone here has more experience than you and has seniority over you. Any of them can give you orders. Do you understand?”
Li Sa answered firmly, “Yes, sir!”
She returned to the back of the line. Sun Dingyi said quietly, “Don’t worry, Captain Ren. We’ll keep an eye on her. We’ll let her get a feel for things from the perimeter.”
Ren Yi nodded. In the distance, he saw He Xun returning with several people, so he hurried over to meet them.
“Sihuo, this is Wenhui’s head of security. He knows what’s going on with the fire shutters.”
The security chief said, “Sir, the fire shutters in Building B shouldn’t be broken. I suspect the sensor batteries haven’t been replaced in years and have run out of power, or perhaps the fire damaged the sensors and made them less responsive.”
He Xun snapped angrily, “A mall this big, and you’re still using such outdated fire barriers? What good are they if they’re nothing but decorations?!”
If the fire shutters had come down in time to block the flames, Building B would never have been so severely affected in such a short period.
The security chief gave a bitter smile. “My job’s probably gone anyway, so I’ll tell you the truth. A few years ago, the fire department ordered us to make improvements. They told us to install smart shutters linked to the fire detectors. But the renovations would have cost a fortune, and the owner didn’t want to spend the money. They upgraded one or two shutters just to get through the fire-safety inspection.”
Throughout his career as a firefighter, Ren Yi had come to understand one thing very clearly: not a single organization in the world had fire-safety measures that were completely up to standard. If every building had to pass a fire-safety inspection in strict accordance with every regulation, then every commercial and noncommercial establishment would have to shut down.
After seeing so much, Ren Yi had grown almost numb to the irresponsible behavior he encountered at fire scenes. At first, it had made him furious. Now, he was nearly past the point of feeling anything at all.
Of course, those responsible would have to be held accountable once the crisis was over. But right now, assigning blame was unimportant. Saving lives and minimizing losses came first.
Ren Yi took a deep breath.
“Firefighters from Phoenix Station and Sanning Station, Captain He and I will lead you into the most dangerous part of the scene right now: floors one through seven of Building B. We’ll manually lower the fire shutters to temporarily stop the flames from spreading.
“As you’ve all seen, the water supply is a serious problem at this time of year. We have no water-cannon support. This will be a difficult and dangerous operation. I expect everyone to obey orders and complete the mission while making your own safety the top priority.”
The firefighters roared in unison.
“Yes, sir!”