Air quality warning issued in Maryland due to fires at Aberdeen Proving Ground

Because the air could look and smell smoky Monday morning, the Maryland Department of the Environment has issued a Code Orange and Code Yellow air quality warning for Baltimore and surrounding counties due to “uncontrolled” fires at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County.

According to the MDE, the air quality warnings will last until at least noon.

Code Yellow means that air quality poses a moderate risk for people sensitive to air pollution. according to MDE. Code Orange means that the air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children and adults with respiratory and heart diseases.

Harford and Cecil counties, as well as the northern part of Baltimore County, are under Code Orange. Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, Carroll and Frederick counties are under Code Yellow, along with the northwestern portions of Montgomery and Howard counties.

With the help of the National Guard, the Aberdeen Proving Ground Fire and Emergency Services battled multiple fires Sunday afternoon. This is evident from a Facebook message from the emergency services.

The Aberdeen Proving Ground Public Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The wildfire started Thursday, a day before the Maryland Department of Natural Resources declared introduced a statewide burning ban. The dry and windy weather, combined with the foliage on the ground, makes conditions conducive to wildfires.

“The ban is in response to the significantly dry conditions in recent months,” department spokesman AJ Metcalf said. “And it has led to a lot of dry leaves on the ground. If an open-air fire spreads sideways, it could be a wildfire.”

The fires at the Proving Ground spread to more than 40 hectares, the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company said in a Facebook post. The post explained that the Proving Ground is a U.S. Army testing facility used to evaluate weapons.

“The nature of these testing activities makes fires unavoidable, especially during drought conditions like we are experiencing now,” the release said. “Due to the very large number of unexploded ‘live’ shells down, it is far too dangerous to put personnel on the ground for firefighting. APG applies a ‘Let it Burn’ policy for remote fires, unless the situation gets out of hand.”

The fires produced a plume of smoke Sunday evening that blew west toward Edgewood, White Marsh and greater Baltimore, according to MDE. This led to some people seeing and smelling smoke on Monday morning, although it is expected to clear later in the day.

Last October was one of the driest on record in the Baltimore area, National Weather Service meteorologist Austin Mansfield said.

There is a slight chance of rain around Baltimore on Wednesday and Thursday, he said, but temperatures will reach near-record highs of around 80 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday.