Forest fire breaks out at major military gunnery range in New Jersey

BARNEGAT, N.J. (AP) — A fast-moving forest fire broke out Tuesday at a major military gunnery range in southern New Jersey, but no injuries or property damage has been reported.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service responded around 2:15 p.m. to the Warren Grove Air to Ground Range in Ocean County, where weapons testing had been scheduled for late Tuesday morning. It wasn’t immediately clear if the testing had taken place and, if it did, played a role in the fire.

The blaze had burned roughly 150 acres (61 hectares) by late Tuesday afternoon, and the fire service said crews were burning brush ahead of the blaze to prevent its spread. No further details were available.

The range covers 9,400 acres (3,804 hectares) and 60 miles (97 kilometers) of airspace, according to the New Jersey National Guard. It’s used for a variety of military exercises, including weapons delivery practice for helicopters and other aircraft teams, laser training, and gunnery and munitions drills.

The range, which is secluded from roads by dense forests, is about 34 miles (55 kilometers) south of Joint Base Maguire-Dix, one of the largest military facilities irn New Jersey. It also was the scene of a 2007 fire that burned 17,000 acres (6,880 hectares) and led to the evacuation of thousands of residents. That fire, which was touched off when a pilot dropped a flare into the range during a training exercise, destroyed four homes and damaged about 50 others.