Fire on the Mountain Read online

  A illustration shows two children wearing life jackets on a boat. The girl is holding a deer wrapped in a blanket on her lap. Behind them, thick smoke rises up from a fire burning on the side of a mountain.

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  Fire on the Mountain

  Pamela McDowell

  illustrated by

  Dana Barton

  To my mom and dad, who always believed I could. —P.M.

  Text copyright © Pamela McDowell 2022

  Illustrations copyright © Dana Barton 2022

  Published in Canada and the United States in 2022 by Orca Book Publishers.

  orcabook.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Title: Fire on the mountain / Pamela McDowell ; illustrated by Dana Barton.

  Names: McDowell, Pamela, author. | Barton, Dana, illustrator.

  Series: Orca echoes.

  Description: Series statement: Orca echoes

  Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20210167114 | Canadiana (ebook) 20210167122 | ISBN 9781459826144 (softcover) | ISBN 9781459826151 (PDF) | ISBN 9781459826168 (EPUB) Classification: LCC PS8625.D785 F57 2022 | DDC jc813/.6—dc23

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2021934064

  Summary: In this illustrated early chapter book, a forest fire threatens the town of Waterton, and Cricket and her brother do their best to save their home.

  Orca Book Publishers is committed to reducing the consumption of nonrenewable resources in the making of our books. We make every effort to use materials that support a sustainable future.

  Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

  Cover artwork and interior illustrations by Dana Barton

  Author photo by Mirror Image Photography

  Edited by Liz Kemp

  Printed and bound in Canada.

  25 24 23 22 • 1 2 3 4

  Cricket McKay series

  Ospreys in Danger

  Salamander Rescue

  Bats in Trouble

  Cougar Frenzy

  Chapter One

  “Thunderstorms are the worst.” Shilo crossed her arms and stared out the window. The clouds had been building all afternoon, and now the sky looked gray and menacing.

  “Uh-huh,” Cricket said. She studied the Jenga tower, not really listening. “Can you turn on the light? It’s hard to see the game.”

  “That’s because of the stupid storm,” Shilo grumbled as she turned on the lamp. She watched Cricket slide a wooden block out of the stack and place it carefully on top. Thunder rumbled, bouncing between the mountains.

  Cricket had lived in the little town of Waterton, in the middle of Waterton Lakes National Park, all her life. Thunderstorms in September were normal after a hot summer. She kind of liked the storms, especially at night, when she could burrow down safe and warm in her blankets and watch out her window as lightning crackled in the sky. The sound of rain pounding on the roof would lull her to sleep.

  “What I don’t get is why we have thunderstorms almost every day, but no rain.” Cricket watched as Shilo tapped a block and eased it from the bottom as the tower swayed.

  “Yeah, it’s so dry, the grass is crunchy. I had to wear shoes almost all summer,” Shilo said.

  Cricket pinched her nose and waved her hand. “Lucky for us,” she said and laughed when Shilo rolled her eyes. Cricket focused on the Jenga tower again. She tapped a block, then gripped it carefully and wiggled it free.

  Ka-boom!

  A flash of lightning lit up the room at the same time as thunder cracked, shaking the house.

  “Ah!” Cricket jumped, and the tower fell. Wooden blocks scattered across the floor. The lights flickered and went out.

  “Not again,” Shilo groaned.

  Seconds later the lights came back on, though they were a little dimmer than before.

  Shilo turned to Cricket. “What…?”

  “It’s the emergency generator.” Cricket stood up, and Shilo followed her to the kitchen, where Warden McKay was working on a computer.

  Cricket’s dad was a park warden in Waterton Lakes National Park. It was his job to sort out disagreements between wildlife and tourists. The week before, he had helped a family that discovered a porcupine had moved into their tent and was refusing to leave. As the weather got hotter and the forest got drier, he spent more time checking campfires and reminding visitors how to extinguish them properly.

  Shilo peered over Warden McKay’s shoulder at the screen. “That’s cool. Is it part of Waterton? And what are those little dots? They keep changing color.”

  Warden McKay shook his head. “Waterton is down here,” he said, pointing to the corner of the screen. “These are the mountains west of us, and those dots are lightning strikes. This website tracks the direction of the storm and helps us predict where forest fires might start. With some luck, we can put them out before they get too big.”

  Thunder cracked and rumbled, and a fresh flurry of dots sprinkled the map. Warden McKay frowned and scribbled some notes.

  “Is that bad, Dad?”

  “It’s certainly not good,” he said. “Not good at all.”

  Chapter Two

  The next day, school seemed to be dragging on forever. Cricket couldn’t stop yawning in science class. Shilo made a face at her and wiggled her eyebrows.

  “Dad left really early this morning,” Cricket whispered, “in the helicopter.”

  In fact, he had left twice. Cricket had heard him start the truck just before dawn, when the sky outside her window was still inky black. Not long after that the helicopter had flown over their house, taking the crew out to check on the lightning strikes.

  “He came back, then left again just before breakfast,” she whispered, while Mr. Tanaka drew a diagram of a cell that looked a lot like a fried egg. “That time he was going to find some hikers in the backcountry.”

  “Are you kidding?” Shilo whispered. “It’s so dry, the trails have been closed for weeks! How did they get in there without seeing the signs? I’ll bet your dad was mad about that.”

  Cricket shrugged. “He just wants to find them. He’s worried that if a fire starts, it’ll move pretty quickly and could trap them.”

  Shilo snorted. “So he’s got to risk his life to rescue those dummies?”

  A commotion near the windows drew everyone’s attention. Even Mr. Tanaka abandoned his lesson to have a look. A herd of deer raced across the school field, heading toward the lake.

  “Wow, there’s so many!”

  “Look at all the babies!”

  “Is something chasing them?”

  The deer headed right into town. After the herd disappeared, the k
ids kept watching, waiting to see what had been chasing them. Was it a bear? A wolf? A cougar?

  Nothing. Eventually the excitement died down, and the kids moved back to their seats. The day continued to drag on for Cricket.

  On their way home from school, the girls paused to let a couple of bighorn sheep and a lamb cross the street in front of them. The ewes stared at the girls with their weird amber eyes, then turned and dashed across Mrs. Steeves’s lawn.

  “Wow!” Shilo bounced up and down, spinning around, looking for more sheep. “Those guys don’t come to town very often.”

  “It seems like all the animals are on the move,” Cricket said. “Do you think they’re evacuating or something?”

  Shilo nodded. “Maybe, but your dad didn’t say anything about a fire near here, did he? The lightning strikes were far away.”

  “Yeah.” Cricket was frowning as she stared at Bertha Peak, feeling the hot wind on her face. What if a fire did come close to the town?

  “I’ve never been evacuated before,” Shilo said. “Where do you think we’d go? Pincher Creek would be okay. We could stay at the community center and go swimming every day and go to the library. That would be kinda fun, right?” Shilo nodded to herself. “I wouldn’t mind that, but my mom would probably make us stay at Aunt Tina’s.” She made a face. “She’s got a lot of rules. Where do you think you’d go?”

  Cricket shrugged. “Probably my grandpa’s farm,” she said, but she wasn’t really worried about where they’d go. If no one was left to protect their town, what would happen if the fire came close? And what would happen to all the animals?

  At dinner that night, Cricket’s dad confirmed that the lightning strikes had started a fire far outside the park.

  “In fact, the storm started a few small fires last night. We put most of them out with the helicopter bucket, but one was already too big for that.”

  “But you said the fire is far away, right? It’s nowhere near here, is it?” Cricket felt worry flutter in her stomach. Suddenly she wasn’t hungry anymore. She described the way the deer had been acting in the morning, and the sheep after school.

  Her dad frowned. “Unfortunately wind pushed the fire up to the Continental Divide today. It’s a lot closer than when it started. Most animals, even bugs, can sense the smoke before we can, and for many of them, their instinct is to run or fly away.”

  Cricket put down her fork. Something really had been chasing the deer, but it wasn’t a predator—it was smoke.

  “Fire in the forest isn’t a bad thing,” Warden McKay said. “In fact, fire helps the forest stay healthy. But if wind keeps pushing it, the fire could threaten the town.”

  Chapter Three

  That night Cricket tossed and turned. She knew not all the animals could outrun the fire. Like her dad had said, deer and birds were escaping early, but what about the bigger, slower animals? She thought of big old Samson, the grizzly that lived close to town but never caused more trouble than a traffic jam. How fast could he run? And would he know where to go?

  She rolled over and watched the trees outside her window. Would the porcupines know where to go? When they are afraid, porcupines climb trees just like squirrels do, hiding in the highest branches. That would be a terrible place to hide in a fire! Cricket squeezed her eyes closed. How many animals would try to hide instead of run? What would the salamanders and snakes do? Could they go deep enough underground to stay cool?

  Crying, Cricket threw off the covers. She got out of bed and stood at her window, watching the moon. There were no clouds in the sky, which meant no rain, and the trees were still. Without wind to push it, maybe the fire would stay on the far side of the mountain. Maybe it would burn itself out, even without rain. She dried her eyes and crawled back into bed, imagining the fire fizzling to a puff of smoke.

  Early the next morning, the house was quiet. Cricket had just finished getting dressed when Tyler knocked and poked his head into her room.

  “You ready? We’ve got a ton of chores to do, so let’s go!”

  Cricket raised her eyebrows in surprise. Where was Mom? What about school? And what about breakfast? Before she could ask, Tyler handed her a peanut butter sandwich and took off down the hall.

  Outside, Cricket found her mom carrying a ladder and leaf blower from the garage. She leaned the ladder against the house and held it as Tyler climbed up and onto the roof. Then she handed him the leaf blower and earmuffs.

  “What’s going on?” Cricket asked. “Don’t we have to go to school?”

  Mrs. McKay shook her head. “Not today. If the wind gets blowing today, the fire could move again.”

  “But shouldn’t we leave? If the fire is coming, shouldn’t we go?”

  “Dad will tell us when it’s time to go. Don’t worry—he’ll be sure we’re safe.” Her mom gave her a hug. “For now, there’s work to do.”

  Cricket followed her to the back of the house. “But if we’re lucky, they’ll put the fire out. Or maybe it will start to rain. Or maybe the wind will change direction.”

  Her mom nodded. “There is some luck involved with fire, but there is also a lot we can do to protect ourselves and the town.”

  They heard the whine of the leaf blower as Tyler started clearing leaves and pine needles off the roof.

  “We can start by protecting our house.” Her mom lifted a chair from the deck. “You can help me move everything into the garage.”

  They worked together for an hour, moving patio furniture and trimming all the tall grass at the edges of the yard and under trees.

  “What about your tree house, Cricket? Is there anything in there that we need to move?”

  She shook her head. “Not much. Maybe a blanket.”

  Cricket climbed up the ladder that she and Shilo had nailed together the previous summer. The wood felt dry and splintery—like it would burn in a flash if the fire even looked at it. She poked her head into the tree house and took a quick look around. There was no furniture in the little hideout, just the blanket she remembered, balled up in the corner.

  As she reached for it, the blanket moved. Cricket froze.

  “Anything up there? Do you need some help?” her mom called.

  “Um…no?” Cricket held her breath. The blanket moved again, and a dark brown nose poked out, snuffling at her. Two small brown eyes blinked. And then she saw the quills.

  Cricket gave a little squeak and scrambled back down the ladder.

  “It’s a porcupine! It’s got my blanket.” She looked back over her shoulder as if she expected to see the porcupine following her down the ladder.

  “Cool!” Tyler put down the rake and started taking off his work gloves.

  “No. We need to leave that poor thing alone,” Mrs. McKay said. “It’s probably scared and trying to find a safe place to hide.”

  Cricket frowned. The tree house wasn’t going to be a safe place if the fire got close. But there wasn’t much she could do to help. His eyes looked friendly, but the quills did not.

  Tyler pouted and picked up the rake.

  “Let’s have some lunch,” Mrs. McKay said, “and plan our next move.”

  Chapter Four

  In the middle of lunch, Mrs. McKay dashed off to help at the warden’s office. All the files and office equipment there had to be packed up and ready for evacuation.

  Cricket finished her sandwich and watched Tyler trying to balance a cracker on his nose. If this were a normal day, she’d be in school, having lunch with Shilo and their friends—not watching Tyler trying to balance a cracker on his nose. She sighed. Did she really miss school already?

  Wait. Cricket sat up straight. What about the school? Would anyone trim the long grass around the playground? Would anyone make sure it was fire ready? She gulped down her milk and stood up. The cracker dropped from Tyler’s nose.

  “Come on, Tyler, let’s go!” Cricket stuffed some water bottles into her backpack and headed out the door, explaining her plan as they grabbed their work gloves from the ga
rage.

  As they walked to the school, Cricket was amazed by the busyness in the town. People were working in their yards or on their roofs, and the sounds of leaf blowers and chain saws vibrated through the streets. Worry fluttered in Cricket’s stomach again. The fire must be getting closer.

  “I can’t believe we’re going back to school on a day off,” Tyler grumbled.

  Cricket rolled her eyes. “Not really,” she said. “Besides, everyone else is super busy with other things, so it’s up to us.”

  “I thought you’d say that,” Tyler said, “so I called some friends.”

  Shilo and Tyler’s friend Will met them at the playground, carrying rakes and gloves. They all worked for an hour, cutting the tall grass and ripping out the weeds beside the school, around the playground and along the fences. Tyler and Shilo raked everything into a pile to be picked up by one of the national park’s trucks.

  The kids flopped down in the shade beside the school. Cricket gulped down her entire bottle of water. Shilo nudged her with an elbow and looked over at Tyler. Cricket’s brother was slowly dribbling his water onto his head, letting it roll down his face and ears, soaking his shirt. Cricket rolled her eyes.

  Will watched a group of people near Cameron Falls. “Who are those guys?” he asked. They wore dark gray pants, red shirts and yellow helmets—definitely not tourists.

  “They’re not all guys,” Shilo said.

  The kids scrambled to their feet, picked up their tools and walked down the block toward Cameron Falls. The group was unloading equipment from a truck and carrying large coils of hose up the trail. The flutter of worry moved from Cricket’s stomach to just below her ribs. She recognized their uniforms—they were firefighters. As the kids approached, the team stopped for a water break.

  One of the firefighters waved and smiled. “Hey, what are you all doing out here? It looks like you’ve been working.” She took off her helmet and wiped her forehead with her arm. On her shoulder was the crest of the Lethbridge Fire Department.