Marine Corps says outdoor barbecue triggered massive firefighting foam leak on Okinawa

An outdoor barbecue near the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma flight line triggered the release of 60,000 gallons of potentially toxic firefighting foam on April 10, according to a Marine Corps review released Friday.

About 22,000 gallons of the aqueous foam were contained on base. The remainder traveled off base through a storm drain and into a nearby stream and neighborhood.

Japanese government officials condemned the incident at the time. Afterward, the Marines escorted Japanese environmental experts onto MCAS Futenma to obtain soil and water samples.

Marine Corps Installations Pacific announced the results of its probe in an emailed statement Friday evening. They provided no further information on the barbecue incident and did not return messages seeking further comment Friday evening.