Aircraft fight massive fires in Portugal
Spanish Air Force 43rd Group dispatched amphibious firefighting planes.
The Spanish Air Force is among the organisations to have responded to the massive wildfires affecting Portugal. The Force’s 43rd Group dispatched amphibious firefighting planes to assist in extinguishing a forest fire affecting the district of Leiria, Portugal, following a request from the Government of Portugal at 10:45 hrs on 18 June.
Initially, a Canadair 215 was sent from Matacán Air Base, Salamanca, along with a Bombardier 415 from the Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base. Two further planes were later dispatched from Torrejón. Each aircraft was crewed by two pilots and a mechanic.
On their first day in action, the planes released 828 tons of water in 138 drops over 28 hours of flight. They returned to Matacán Air Base overnight then flew back to Portugal on 19 June to continue fighting the flames.