Seeing smoke near Dublin? It's from a training fire

DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) -- Black smoke rising in Dublin on Saturday afternoon raised alarm bells on social media.

But it was no cause for concern.

Posts began appearing on Reddit and Citizen of dark smoke rising near the northwest corner of Interstate 270, north of its interchange with U.S. 33 and State Route 161. The posts noted a large column of smoke and that there had no public information about reports of a fire.

NBC4 reached out to Dublin police and was told that the smoke was from a training fire.

On Saturday morning, the Washington Township Fire Department, which serves parts of Dublin, posted on Facebook about the training fire in an empty residence on River Forest Road.

"Our crews will be participating in a live burn training exercise TODAY in Dublin. This notice is to inform residents that smoke may be visible in the area during the training," the post read. "Please note that this is a planned and controlled exercise, and our crews will be onsite ensuring all safety protocols are followed."

The post said that the first burn was scheduled for 9:30 a.m., with others to follow throughout the day.