After three days of work by land and air, it was possible to completely extinguish a large-scale forest fire, in the village of Portachuelo, in Ocaña, Department of Norte de Santander; 9 thousand gallons of water, mixed with 27 gallons of retardant liquid, were dropped over the flames, from a HUEY-II helicopter of the Colombian Aerospace Force.
The coordinated work conducted by Colombian National Army, the National Police, the Volunteer Firefighters, the Municipal Administration and the community was crucial to put an end to the conflagration; a situation that could be verified given that the helicopter crew of the Air Combat Command No. 1, made a flyby, reporting the existence of a small active focus, which was quickly extinguished by the inhabitants of the sector.
For his part, Sergeant Yefreid Peñaranda Páez, Commander of the Ocaña Volunteer Fire Department, reported: “When no more fires are observed, the work in support of the conflagration that left more than 70 hectares of vegetation will end.”
Source: Public Communications Office CACOM 1
