Wildfire Breaks Out at Bombing Range After Guard Conducts 'Controlled, Loud Activity'

Firefighters are working to contain an over 1,100-acre forest fire that broke out on Tuesday at a military range in New Jersey after the Air National Guard engaged in what it called a "controlled, loud activity." The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said that no structures were threatened by the fire, and that there were no evacuations or road closures.

The fire service responded to the outbreak at Warren Grove Air to Ground Range, which is used by elements of the New Jersey Air National Guard. A New Jersey Forest Fire Service official told Military.com that the fire was 80% contained as of Wednesday morning following overnight rain.

The official, Jim Douglas, said that fire services were requested at the range late Tuesday morning. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service, or NJFFS, said that as of late Wednesday morning, fire crews remained on scene to monitor the perimeter of the blaze.

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"The 177th Fighter Wing thanks the New Jersey Forest Fire Service for its help in the management of fires on its Warren Grove Range property yesterday," a spokesperson for the 177th Fighter Wing told Military.com in an email. It was not immediately clear which specific unit was using the range at the time of the fire.

"The Wing can confirm that controlled, loud activity took place on the range shortly after 11:30 a.m. yesterday, at which point fires began," the spokesperson said. "New Jersey State Forest Fire Service assisted with management of the fires in the designated area."

Military.com asked the spokesperson what the specific activity was, what unit was conducting said activity, and if said activity started the fire, but did not hear back by publication.

This is not the first time a fire has erupted from the range grounds. In 2007, a massive fire spread across Ocean and Burlington counties after an Air National Guard plane dropped a flare over the Warren Grove range, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Tuesday's fire, which was first reported as 150 acres in size, has since octupled and has been named the "Whip-poor-will Wildfire," according to NJFFS. The state's fire service deployed ground crews, as well as a helicopter, to assist with observation.

In a post to X on Wednesday, NJFFS said that it "continues to be in unified command with the New Jersey Air National Guard on scene" of the fire.

The Warren Grove Range was used during World War II as a weapons research site, according to the service. Roughly 3,000 flights occur at the range each year, and it is used by Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces and the Federal Aviation Administration, among other entities.

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