Fuel tank explodes in Lake Huron after Ohio Air National Guard plane emergency
A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon, assigned to the Ohio National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing, takes off during a training flight, in Swanton, Ohio, June 11, 2024. Early in 2023, upwards of 250 Airmen from the 180FW supported Operation Noble Eagle,
IOSCO COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A fuel tank exploded in Lake Huron, while another landed in a parking lot after a military fighter jet dropped them during an emergency over Michigan on Wednesday.
The Iosco County Sheriff's Office said a call was received around 1:15 p.m. about an explosion in the area of Baldwin Resort Road in Tawas near Lake Huron.
During an investigation, authorities learned that two F-16 planes from the Ohio Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Squadron in Toledo were training when one of them declared an emergency and dumped two external fuel tanks. One of those tanks landed in the lake and exploded, while the other came apart in the art and pieces of it landed in a parking lot of the Baldwin Plaza, near a Tractor Supply, Sav-A-Lot, and a Secretary of State branch.
After the tanks were dropped, the emergency was cleared and both planes flew back to Toledo, where they safely landed.
A partial suspected fuel tank was recovered from the Tawas Bay in Lake Huron. No injuries were reported, though some vehicles in the parking lot where one of the tanks landed were damaged.
According to the National Guard unit, "there are no immediate safety concerns to those in the area."
The military will investigate the incident to determine what caused the emergency.