Russia, Brazil rush planes to fight raging Chile fires

Firefighting airplanes from Russia and Brazil have arrived in Chile to help combat the country’s raging wildfires which have so far displaced thousands of people and reduced vast stretches of forests to ashes.

Arriving in the Chilean capital of Santiago on Monday, the planes included an Ilyushin Il-76 for the Russian Air Force and two C-130 Brazilian Hercules with the capacity of containing tons of water for firefighting missions.

The help comes after almost two weeks of firefighting, during which 11 lives have been lost and some 480,000 hectares of forests destroyed across the South American country. Fires have also forced the evacuation of at least 4,000 people.

Chile’s Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz welcomed the arrival of the Russian firefighting aircraft and the crew at the capital’s airport and said they would remain as long as it is necessary to combat the fires.

"I have expressed the appreciation of the government and the people of Chile towards the Russian government and Russian air force for having traveled more than 32 hours to come to our country," Munoz said.

Russia's Ilyushin II-76 has a capacity to hold 40 tonnes of water and can launch it from a height of 50 to 100 meters, covering an area of 1.25 square kilometers in one go. Brazilian Hercules holds 12,000 liters of water and functions from a height of 46 meters.

The huge fires have raged mainly in thinly-populated rural areas in O’Higgins and El Maule regions, located in the country’s south and center, where the inferno destroyed homes, pasture, and livestock.

EA