Bolivia: Arsenal Against Forest Fires to Be Stepped Up
Aircraft Electra Tanker T481 in Bolivia, Oct 4, 2024 Photo: @Canal_BoliviaTV
October 4, 2024 Hour: 1:57 pm
Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo confirmed that the second Electra Tanker T481 air tanker will arrive in the country on Monday, and by Tuesday it will be operating.
On Friday, official sources stated that Bolivians are today awaiting the incorporation of an Electra Tanker T481 air tanker and Guardian Boxes to combat from the air the forest fires that have already damaged more than seven million hectares.
Related:
Bolivia Declares a National State of Emergency for Forest Fires
‘We are going to increase with a Tanker plane and the flow of Guardian Boxes that we are using to fight the fire,’ said President Luis Arce from the Fire Control Centre in Santa Cruz.
From this point of monitoring and decision making in the confrontation of the flames, Arce said that the control of the roads of Santa Cruz and Beni will also be reinforced with military personnel, ‘so that there are no people who are dedicated to setting fires, we are going to be much more alert,’ he announced.
The first Electra Tanker T481 tanker aircraft and an Airbus BK117 D3 helicopter with a Bambi Bucket (water tank) arrived in Bolivia on 21 September and are taking part in operations against forest fires.
ELECTRA TANKER PLANE OPERATES IN MUNICIPALITIES AFFECTED BY THE FIRES With a large quantity of water, the Tanker Electra aircraft is trying to smother large hectares of land affected by forest fires.
The Electra Tanker T481, from the Canadian company Air Spray, has a multiple discharge capacity of 11,300 litres.
Speaking on the subject, Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo confirmed that the second Electra Tanker T481 air tanker will arrive in the country on Monday, and by Tuesday it will be operating, along with the rest of the planes and helicopters on standby.
‘The contract has already been signed for the air tanker to be here, it will start operating on Tuesday,’ he said, adding that a third C-130 Hercules aircraft will also be added.
All these actions are part of the national fire disaster declaration, which allows the use of greater resources to quell forest disasters, activate international aid and cooperation, among other initiatives.
For more than 120 days the fires have been raging in several regions of Bolivia, with Santa Cruz as the epicenter, followed by the department of Beni.
National and foreign firefighters are working in this confrontation by air and land.
‘The news is encouraging, but we must not be careless, these fires are dynamic, today they can be reduced and tomorrow they can increase,’ warned the head of state.
The available arsenal includes at least 200 guard boxes, each of which can hold up to 1,000 liters of water.
Such devices are biodegradable containers that are dropped from the air and release their contents, thus creating a very precise rain effect on the flames.
Autor: OSG
Fuente: The Independent-The Star
