FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Colorado Guard Helicopters Battle East Peak Fire
From a Colorado National Guard News Release
CENTENNIAL, Colo., June 21, 2013 - Two Colorado Army National Guard helicopters are assisting civil authorities in combating the East Peak fire near Walsenburg in Huerfano County, Colo.
Yesterday, the fast-burning fire had spread over 1,000 acres and led to the evacuation of 178 Boy Scouts from a local camp, according to the Denver Post.
The two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters fighting the blaze are each equipped with a specialized bucket capable of dropping as much as 500 gallons of water at a time.
One helicopter is from the Colorado National Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility on Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colo., and the other is from the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Gypsum, Colo.
The Colorado Army National Guard is assisting the Huerfano County Sheriff's Office in fighting the East Peak fire.
"Our Guard members live and work in communities across the state, we're always ready help our neighbors in their time of need," said Air Force Brig. Gen. Peter J. Byrne, commander of the standing Joint Task Force-Centennial. "That's why we serve."
