Before the forest fire presented in the rural area conducted by the municipalities of Carmen de Apicalá and Suarez, in the department of Tolima, crews of the Colombian Aerospace Force, have arrived by air with helicopters of the Air Combat Command No.4, which continue to discharge water mixed with retardant liquid, to extinguish the flames.
After receiving the emergency call by the authorities and people living in these municipalities, through the National Personnel Recovery Center- CENRP, approximately 20,000 gallons of water mixed with additives used to reduce the spread of fire have been transported from the Sumapaz River and spread over the conflagration, through the use of the bambi bucket system, adapted to a Huey-II helicopter.
This conflagration has consumed about 200 hectares along 12 kilometers, damaging the wild fauna and flora in the sector known as El tránsito, according to Carlos Sainz, commander of the Volunteer Fire Department.
At the Mayor's Office of Suárez, the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, the Risk Management Directorate of the Tolima Governorate, together with personnel of Military Engineers of the National Army and Units of the National Police, all efforts are being made by land and air to end the environmental emergency as soon as possible.
This is how the Colombian Aerospace Force has all the resources to deal with eventualities on the ground from the air, preventing major damage to both water sources and the tropical forest throughout the national territory.
Source: Office of Public Communications CACOM 4
