Panetta Commends Jacoby for Northcom Fire Assistance

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2012 – In an afternoon call to the commander of U.S. Northern Command, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta commended Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr. for leading the Defense Department’s effort to support the fight against Colorado’s raging wildfires.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta speaks with Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., commander of U.S. Northern Command, for an update on the Colorado wildfires threatening Colorado Springs and the U.S. Air Force Academy, June 28, 2012. DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

The secretary also commended National Guard and Northcom support to the National Interagency Fire Center based in Boise, Idaho, which coordinates firefighting efforts.

Jacoby updated Panetta on the effort to quell wildfires affecting Colorado Springs and the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the secretary instructed the Northcom commander to provide assets to the extent they are needed by federal or state authorities.

The Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs has burned more than 18,500 acres of land, forcing the evacuation of at least 32,000 people and threatening more than 20,000 structures in the area, including many homes of military families.

Four C-130 aircraft equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems have so far flown 47 sorties dropping more than 100,000 gallons of fire retardant.

COMPLETE STORY HERE: http://www.defense.gov//news/newsarticle.aspx?id=116945