Marines train with live fire on a range at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, April 8, 2025. (JVonnta Taylor/U.S. Marine Corps)
A fire sparked by live-fire training scorched more than 215,000 square feet at a Marine Corps rifle range in northern Okinawa, marking the second such blaze in as many months, according to U.S. military and Japanese officials.
The fire began around 10:25 a.m. Friday on Range 2 at Camp Hansen during routine training, Marine Corps Installations Pacific spokeswoman 1st Lt. Kelsey Enlow said in an email Wednesday. No injuries or damage were reported.
The blaze extinguished itself within 90 minutes, Enlow said. Base firefighters monitored the situation to ensure it did not spread outside the range.
A spokesman for the Okinawa Defense Bureau, speaking by phone Tuesday, confirmed the extent of the fire, which matched the scale of a similar incident at the same range on April 4. That fire also burned approximately 215,000 square feet and was extinguished by the following morning.
"These types of fires are not uncommon on ranges," the command said at the time. "There are ample measures in place to ensure that they are contained and put out. Safety is always our top concern, and we are exceptionally careful during live-fire ranges and their clean ups."