(WWJ) — Cleanup efforts are underway after an F-16 fighter jet dropped two fuel tanks during an emergency near Lake Huron on Wednesday afternoon.
The jet was one of two F-16s from the Ohio Air National Guard flying near Tawas on Wednesday, according to the Iosco County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 1:15 p.m. the sheriff’s office got a call about an explosion near Baldwin Resort Road near Lake Huron. Deputies responded to the scene, along with personnel from the Michigan State Police, U.S. Coast Guard, Tawas City Police Department, East Tawas Police Department, Tawas City Dive Team and Oscoda Township rescue dive team.
The initial investigation revealed one of the jets from Toledo declared an emergency and dumped two external fuel tanks full of jet fuel, according to the sheriff’s office.
One of those tanks landed north of Baldwin Resort Road in Lake Huron and exploded.
The other tank landed in the Baldwin plaza parking lot, which houses a Tractor Supply Co., Save-A-Lot and a Michigan Secretary of State office. The sheriff’s office did not say whether that tank exploded, but said there was only minor damage to a few vehicles in the parking lot.
No injuries were reported.
Both F-16s are said to have landed safely in Toledo.
The sheriff’s office is asking the public to stay clear of the area as containment and cleanup continues. More Air National Guard Units from Ohio were on the way to the scene.
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