Within 60 seconds, the tower's stairwells flood with air to keep smoke out while residents evacuate. Exhaust fans kick in to suck the noxious gases from burning carpet and plastics through vertical shafts built into the core of the building and out vents on the roof. Residents still on those floors might feel their ears pop. From that room, supplied with fresh air and made to withstand flames for an hour, firefighters monitor where smoke has been detected, control exhaust fans and track water flow to the sprinkler system. If they see evidence that the fire has spread, firefighters raise an alarm, calling another station's worth of equipment and personnel to the scene.
Firefighters also quiz evacuated residents, witnesses to the blaze above.
Meanwhile, sleeping residents throughout the rest of the building continue to dream undisturbed. Their evacuation will be carefully coordinated as necessary. The teams go in on their hands and knees, wearing 70 pounds of gear, and wrestle water-heavy hoses through temperatures that can reach 800 degrees at the ceiling level. The fire chief in the lobby bunker calls the shots. In a worst-case scenario, the Austin Fire Department can call in the Texas National Guard.