Air Force aircraft supports firefighters intervening in the forest fire in Oituz

A C-27J Spartan aircraft of the Romanian Air Force equipped for extinguishing fires took off, on Monday, around 15.30, from Base 90 Air Transport to support the Bacau Emergencies Inspectorate (ISU) firefighters intervening in a forest fire in the area of Oituz commune, Bacau county, agerpres reports.

The aircraft can carry 6,000 liters of water (six containers) on each pass. Since 2017 and until now, Romanian Air Force aircraft have also extinguished two forest fires in our country - one in the area of Svinita locality, in Mehedinti county, and the second in Buces area, Vulcan Mountains, at the border between Alba and Hunedoara counties, shows a Ministry of National Defence (MApN) release.

The mission is carried out at the request of the Department for Emergency Situations. The Ministry of National Defence reminds that the Romanian Air Force aircraft also carried out two international missions of this type, the first taking place in July 2018, in Greece, and the second took place this year, in August, in Northern Macedonia.

The fire broke out on Sunday, around 15.00, and is manifested on about 12 hectares in a forest under the administration of the Oituz Private Forest District. The forest has about 80pct pine, 15pct oak and 5pct beech.

The firefighters' intervention has been going on without interruption for over 20 hours and currently 50 firefighters from Bacau and Covasna, 10 employees of the Oituz Forest District and 4 volunteer firefighters are intervening. The intervention forces use several fire trucks with water and foam and a drone to locate the outbreaks.

"The intervention proves to be a difficult one due to the very difficult terrain, with large level difference, where the fire occurs, as well as the presence of ammunition elements left unexploded during the world conflagrations," explained the spokesman for ISU Bacau, Major Andrei Grecu.

For the research, identification and removal of the unexploded ammunition, which may endanger the participating forces, the ISU Bacau pyrotechnic team also went to the scene with a pyrotechnic truck.