The last months of summer in Chile were marked by the multiple fires that affected the central-southern part of the country. The great magnitude of the catastrophe affected thousands of people between the regions of O’Higgins and Los Lagos, requiring an emergency deployment that was characterized by the cooperative work between public and private institutions, civil society organizations and international support, in order to fight the fire and meet the needs of the affected communities.
In response to the emergency, the Luksic family announced in early February that it would finance the Aero Tanker, one of the most versatile air tankers of its kind, to come to Chile for a month. The aircraft model MD-87 landed on February 10 at Talcahuano’s Carriel Sur Airport and operated from that point for 28 days in support of firefighting.
On March 11, the Aero Tanker returned to the United States after having participated in 118 missions in our country, all in coordination with Conaf in order to support the teams of brigadiers and firefighters participating in the firefighting on the ground.
In total, the amount of water launched by the Aero Tanker during the month it was in the country reached 1,324,894 liters, which is equivalent to approximately 331 fire trucks, considering an average capacity of four thousand liters per truck. In addition, the team in charge of operating the aircraft, composed of four pilots and two mechanics, completed a total of 75 flight hours in the country.
“We are very grateful for the professional work done by the team and crew of the Erickson Aero Tanker,” said Isabella Luksic, general manager of Fundación Luksic. “As Luksic Foundation we are proud to have been able to support the fight against the fires, joining the great deployment that once again has mobilized the country in an emergency, and we will continue working to collaborate with the affected communities,” she added.
Through its areas of action, the Luksic Foundation is focusing its efforts on supporting entrepreneurs, educational communities and athletes in the areas affected by the emergency.
