The call woke Jess McLean about 2:30 a.m.
His boss wanted to know whether he could help with a fire, even though it was his day off.
It’s a big one, Capt. Mark Loutzenhiser told McLean, Engine 57’s fire engine operator.
McLean, always eager to help, turned to his wife, Karen.
“Can I go?” he asked.
“If you want,” she said.
Karen didn’t worry. Her husband had tackled big fires before. McLean told his wife he loved her. He figured he’d be gone for two days.
The Esperanza fire started at 1:11 a.m. Oct. 26, 2006, as a flicker near old tires and crumbling slabs of concrete scattered below an isolated hillside west of Cabazon.