Local bases support Black Forest Fire efforts

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  In accordance with an agreement with Black Forest, an incident management team of nine firefighters and two fire trucks from the Air Force Academy has deployed to fight the Black Forest Fire in northeast Colorado Springs.

The effort to contain the fire, which consumed 7,500 acres June 11, involves hundreds of people from numerous agencies.

Academy Airfield officials have set up a helicopter staging area for two Army CH-47 Chinooks and two UH-60 Black Hawks, which are assigned to Fort Carson's 4th Infantry Division, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade.

Peterson Air Force Base has sent ground equipment and personnel to support firefighting efforts. The 302nd Airlift Wing, which uses Peterson AFB's airfield, has assigned two Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped C-130 Hercules aircraft to assist.

Schriever Air Force Base has asked the Ellicott Fire Department to send a vehicle and will send one of its vehicles to assist June 13, a public affairs officer at the base said.

In addition to helicopters, Fort Carson has nine Emergency Services Directorate vehicles and four D7 bulldozers on scene. The bulldozers are cutting fire breaks on the north side of the fire, according to the North American Aerospace Defense and U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs Office.

For more information, including a list of helping agencies for those affected by the fire, go to the Academy's wildfire information page at http://www.usafa.af.mil/news/fire.asp.