The range fires that broke out at Aberdeen Proving Ground are contained, Army officials said Monday, after the blazes affected an estimated 1,000 acres of land and prompted air pollution warnings across the Baltimore region.
Army officials believe the outbreak of brush fires at the military installation began Saturday after a change in wind direction, which ignited smoldering embers from "residual materials" in "remote areas" of the munitions test site in Harford County, the garrison's public affairs chief, Emily Myers, said. Smoke began pouring from the proving ground Sunday afternoon, becoming visible from adjacent counties and fouling air quality in the Baltimore region.
Units from the military installation and the Maryland National Guard were on site in the munitions testing area watching for remaining hot spots Monday morning as smoke was still visible from around the site. Approximately 170,000 gallons of water were poured on the site from "Bambi buckets" -- tanks of water attached to helicopters for aerial firefighting, Myers said.
The installation said Monday that there was no threat to surrounding communities, and the smoke "should dissipate as the day goes on." The state's environmental department had issued a Code Orange air quality alert that lasted from Sunday afternoon to midday Monday, warning that groups sensitive to air pollution in the Baltimore region should avoid outdoor activity. The warning prompted at least one school district to halt outdoor activities on Monday.
Approximately 50 brush fires occur at the munitions test site each year, according to Myers. The last one "of substance" was on Oct. 23, and was extinguished the same day, she said. The fires are usually small, but leaves, stumps and marshy areas create "a lot of smoke," she said.
The blazes came amid drought-like conditions throughout Maryland, where the state's Department of Natural Resources had issued a burn ban last week. Federal facilities, however, "generally are exempt" from burn bans, a DNR spokesperson said. The Army "has scrutinized planned testing activities and mitigated hazards in the interest of preventing fires," Myers said, noting the proving ground "recognizes the same dry conditions that led to the statewide burn ban and complies with federal law and army regulations in all testing activities."
The brush fires broke out just before a new record was set at BWI Marshall Airport for consecutive days without measurable rainfall. It had been 32 days without significant rain at BWI on Sunday, matching the record set in October of 1963, according to the National Weather Service. No precipitation was expected in the Baltimore area until Thursday at the earliest.
When the DNR imposed the burn ban on Nov. 1, the department said the Maryland Forest Service had responded to more than 24 wildfires in October that burned about 75 acres, more than triple the 10-year average. By Monday, that had climbed to 33 fires since Oct. 1. Of those, 19 had been declared out, and 14 were still being contained or monitored, said DNR spokesperson Gregg Bortz.
"The situation will need to be monitored closely over the next several days for potential [flare-]ups," the environment department's forecast said.
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