Firefighters prevented huge blast in Friday’s air crash

By prompt and professional action in containing the fire that caught the plane fallen on April 11, near the Chisinau International Airport, the firefighters prevented a huge explosion that could affect not only Bacioi commune nearby, but also a part of the capital, say sources from the Fire and Rescue Direction. An official of the Direction, Liliana Puscasu, has told Info-Prim Neo, that conclusion was reached by experts of the Emergency Department. The plane carried 5 tonnes of kerosene and a large amount of technical oil. More fires erupted when touching the land, at the wings full with kerosene and at the engine. In case the fire reached the kerosene, the explosion was unavoidable, jeopardizing the lives of almost 100 firefighters, but also of the people in the airport and near the catastrophe. After it was clear no pilot was alive, as two of them were thrown away at 100 m., the firefighters decided to use water to cool down the wings and the reactor, which were made of an alloy with magnesium that can explode if combining with oxygen. After those areas were cooled down, they used immediately foam to contain the fire. Two months ago, firefighters trained on the Chisinau airport, as the legend was absolutely similar with the catastrophe on last Friday. So, Liliana Puscasu, points out the firefighters were ready to extinguish the fire in a fallen plane and thus to prevent a huge explosion.