Chapter 028: Limit (7)
At the deputy captain's shout, everyone rushed behind the barricade and wrapped their bodies around the victims.
As though that had been the signal, a massive explosion erupted.
Flames burst through the windows on both sides of the stairwell.
The fire shot upward and directly struck the drone that had been filming the roof.
Watching from below, Yoon-hee cried out in a sharp voice.
"Are they okay?!"
The fact that she could no longer see the rooftop made the fear even worse.
The viewers watching Samhan Ilbo's YouTube livestream reacted the same way.
[It exploded! Are they okay? What happened to the feed?]
[They're still okay. They said only the nearby drone got hit. Didn't you see the barricade they built?]
[Why can't they rescue them faster?!]
Other broadcasting stations, reacting late to Samhan Ilbo's livestream, began arriving at the scene.
However, the area was too dangerous.
All of them had to broadcast from more than one kilometer away.
Samhan Ilbo was the only outlet reporting from directly beside the scene.
The command staff was equally shocked.
The explosion didn't end after one blast.
The door kept being struck repeatedly.
The supports they had piled up to prevent it from opening slowly began to collapse.
Eventually, the door could no longer endure it.
The upper section that wasn't fully covered by the barricade bent outward, and flames burst through.
Fortunately, the support structure bracing the door did not completely collapse.
The explosion vented upward through the narrow opening above the door.
After the sudden rooftop explosion, command urgently contacted them.
"Report the situation up there."
Captain Gu gave a short reply.
"We're still alive."
"If we die, we'll report again."
Hee-soo couldn't help letting out a dry laugh.
"Heh."
"Should I make the equipment automatically report if we go into cardiac arrest?"
"That's a good idea."
The deputy captain couldn't take it anymore and stepped in.
"The explosions have started on the roof."
"We're clearing an escape route toward the location you gave us."
"But because of the explosions, the route isn't completely open yet."
The command staff finally relaxed a little.
"The same is happening down here."
"All cranes are in position."
"A rescue team is currently riding up and clearing the route from the opposite side."
Hearing that, Yoon-hee finally breathed again.
"Thank goodness."
"I thought something terrible had happened."
Photographer Jang also looked relieved.
"Our firefighters aren't that weak."
"You were scared too."
"Hahaha."
"Yeah, I was."
Even while communicating, Dobong Rescue Team continued strengthening the barricade against the explosions.
Then the sound of something cracking and collapsing came from behind them.
When they turned around, they saw Gangbuk Rescue Team.
"We opened the route!"
"We'll evacuate one person at a time!"
"Okay!"
Another explosion erupted.
BOOM!
Flames shot through the gap in the bent door.
Seeing it from this close made even the Gangbuk firefighters look as though every hair on their bodies had stood up.
Hee-soo spoke to calm them.
"You don't have to rush recklessly."
"We're holding the line here."
"You shouldn't suffer major injuries."
"Take your time and move safely."
The Gangbuk firefighters looked more carefully.
Only then did they realize something.
The members of Dobong Rescue Team were not hiding behind the barricade.
They were leaning their bodies against it to keep it from being pushed backward.
Another explosion struck.
The bent door twisted even further.
More blast pressure began pushing toward the firefighters.
The Gangbuk firefighters asked no more questions.
One of them immediately lifted a disabled victim wrapped in a fireproof blanket and carried them toward the aerial ladder basket.
The explosions became more frequent.
And each one grew larger.
The flames shooting through the windows began setting the debris piled across the roof on fire.
Powerful streams of water immediately poured down toward those flames.
However, much of the piled debris was covered with waterproof tarps.
The water couldn't reach underneath.
The fire continued spreading below the tarp while water poured across the top, creating the strange sight of a cover that refused to melt while flames raged beneath it.
An aerial water tower had apparently arrived.
A powerful stream of water was also fired directly into the windows that were shooting out flames.
But it still wasn't enough to stop the explosions.
The flames repeatedly punched through the incoming water.
The supports in front of the rooftop door could no longer hold.
Eventually, the door folded, and the upper section opened completely.
Fortunately, the blast pressure still wasn't directly striking the people on the roof.
The flames only passed through briefly, and the fireproof blankets and protective suits blocked them effectively.
The first victim apparently reached the ground.
A message appeared on Hee-soo's face mask.
[1 Rescue Successful]
[17 People Remaining]
Five aerial ladder trucks had been mobilized in total.
However, the only route that had reached the safe zone built by Dobong Rescue Team was the one cleared by Gangbuk Rescue Team.
The other cranes hadn't even managed to properly position themselves yet.
The fire continued spreading through the debris on the roof.
The flames were getting closer.
The next person to arrive from below was a suppression firefighter.
One suppression firefighter reached the roof.
A new message immediately appeared on Hee-soo's display.
[18 People Remaining]
Hee-soo's head began to hurt.
He shouted into the radio.
"STOP SENDING PEOPLE UP HERE TO FIGHT THE FIRE!"
"FOCUS ON GETTING PEOPLE DOWN!"
The fire had been spreading, so command had made the decision to send suppression personnel up.
But all they were doing was adding more people to a death trap.
Captain Gu thought the same.
"If you send more people to the roof, you're only increasing the number of people the crane has to rescue!"
"Don't send anyone else!"
"Understood."
"Then send the victims down as quickly as possible."
The suppression firefighter grabbed the hose.
"One rescue firefighter should take one victim down."
"I'll hold this position for now."
He opened the hose and began spraying water through the burning doorway.
