Hellenic Aid
By the end of the day of the earthquake, five petroleum storage tanks were on fire, with flames shooting more than 200 feet in the air. <br />In total, the Greek Bombardier 415 aircraft operated for 16 hours of direct firefighting, with eight sorties and 280 tons of foam dropped. The operation also established a number of 'firsts', including first foreign use of a Greek firefighting aircraft and first Greek military aircraft operating from a Turkish military airport. More importantly, the mission also marked the first operational use of firefighting aircraft against a refinery fire. <br />The operation in Turkey was an unqualified success and could not have been achieved without the bravery and professionalism of the Air Force officers and non-commissioned officers aboard the aircraft. The Greek contribution was noted in major Turkish newspapers -- and by the general manager of the Turpas refinery, who said: "The Greek firemen were the first to arrive and the most effective of all."