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.
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.
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."