After a preliminary preparation, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter of the Air Combat Command No.5 and a C-295 aircraft of the Military Air Transport Command of the Colombian Air Force, landed on the island of Providencia to begin the support work for the extinction of the fire that occurs in the Natural Park The Peak.
On the first day of mitigation of this emergency, the crew of the UH-60 helicopter of the CACOM-5 reported conducting 13 water drops with more than 27 thousand liters of water and 15 gallons of retardant liquid with the Bambi Bucket system. This after carrying out a detailed reconnaissance and monitoring of the fire on this area of difficult access for fire personnel on the ground.
For its part, the crew of the CATAM C-295 aircraft, transported from Rionegro, Antioquia to the island of Providencia all the equipment and elements necessary for the operation of the fire suppression system as well as 1000 gallons of fuel for the operation.
All the coordination to this mission is carried out through the National Disaster Risk Management Unit, the National Personnel Recovery Center and in conjunction with the Providencia Island Fire Department and the Colombian Navy, with the purpose of extinguishing this fire in the shortest possible time.
In this way, the Colombian Air Force carries out for the first time an operation of this type in the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, preventing the spread of fire to the surrounding inhabitants of the area protecting the fauna and flora of the island.
Source: CACOM-5 Strategic Communications- CATAM And GACAR
