By Wayne Parry
The Associated Press
 AP Photo/Mike Derer Two burned-out homes in one of the affected housing developments in Barnegat, N.J., in May. |
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — A National Guard pilot who dropped flares while flying too low when the fire danger was at its highest caused a massive blaze that destroyed more than 17,000 acres in May, the Air Force announced Thursday.
The fire destroyed four homes in two housing developments, and damaged 37 others. Six thousand people were chased from their homes, and two serious injuries were reported.
Investigators determined that information about the tinder-dry conditions in the scrub pines surrounding the Warren Grove Gunnery Range in Little Egg Harbor Township had not been communicated to all those involved.
The report did not contain recommendations on how to avoid similar accidents in the future, and did not say whether anyone had or would be disciplined.
Lt. Col. James Garcia, a spokesman for the New Jersey Air National Guard, said any decision on discipline or changes in procedures will not be made until officials can read and review the entire report.
Investigators determined the blaze was touched off when one of two pilots flying a training maneuver out of the Warren Grove range was ordered to perform a simulated bombing run in which the plane dropped numerous self-protection flares.
The planes were well below the 500-foot minimum altitude required to drop the flares in ideal conditions. That day, the fire danger was at its highest, and no flares at all should have been used, the report determined.
The military has promised to reimburse people affected by the blaze; about 2,000 people have filed claims.
“What is most concerning from this report is that it was not just one person who caused this disaster; it was more of a systematic failure,” said U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. “If there were errors at multiple levels, certainly there is cause to be seriously concerned for the continuing safety of nearby residents.”