#HighlandsCounty @avonparkfire update – please call Avon Park Bombing Range for more info. We were assisting them yesterday. pic.twitter.com/EJ1HqoPQnr
— FFS Okeechobee (@FFS_Okeechobee) May 18, 2017
A military training exercise in Florida this week sparked a wildfire that has since burned thousands of acres and sent smoke billowing for miles.
The fire started Wednesday in the weapons-impact area of Avon Park Air Force Range in central Florida. Officials had restricted training activities that involved exploding or incendiary devices, but the fire still sparked and quickly grew to about 4,000 acres, news outlets in the area reported.
Firefighters are generally letting the fire burn to containment lines, citing concerns about the possibility of encountering old munitions or un-exploded devices.
The range is used for air-to-ground training exercises and consists of more than 100,000 acres of land. No structures were immediately threatened, and no injuries were reported.
