A B-52H Stratofortress crashed around 8:30 a.m. on Andersen Air Force Base's flight line, the base's public affairs office has confirmed.

All seven aircrew members safely exited the aircraft. No injuries have been reported. Emergency responders are on scene, according to Andersen's public affairs.

The B-52 was deployed to Andersen from Minot, North Dakota, as part of the military's continuous bomber presence mission in the Pacific.

The aircrew are members from the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron and were performing a routine training mission.

The incident is under investigation and measures to mitigate possible environmental impacts are being taken. More information will be released as it becomes available.

The B-52 Stratofortress long-range, heavy bomber aircraft has a wingspan of about 185 feet and a length of 159 feet.

The H model, first delivered in 1961, are is capable of delivering conventional air-launched cruise missiles, and have has been used in several operations such as Operation Desert Storm and  Operation Iraqi Freedom. B-52Hs can carry a maximum capacity of 20 missiles per aircraft, according to the Air Force. 

Pacific Command has maintained a rotational strategic bomber presence in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region for more than a decade to foster partnerships with allies, and to keep adversaries at bay. In January, a B-52 from Andersen conducted a low-level flight near Osan Air Base, South Korea, after North Korea days earlier purported a successful hydrogen bomb test.

B-52s deploy several times a year globally for rotational exercises. In the Middle East, several B-52s from from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, are currently using precision-guided bombs against the Islamic State.

The last major crash of a B-52 aircraft in Guam was in July 2008, when a B-52 crashed into the ocean about 35 miles northwest of the island, killing all six flight crew on board, according to an Air Force investigation report. The plane had taken off from Andersen Air Force Base to perform a flyby in the Guam Liberation Day celebration.

Local responders assist

Local emergency agencies responded to the crash.

The Guam Fire Department confirmed shortly after 9 a.m. that units were responding.

"It's too early to comment on what happened," GFD Chief Joey San Nicolas said in a media alert sent at 9:38 a.m.

"We assure the public this does not appear to be an attack, and we highly discourage anyone from spreading assumptions, or any information that does not come from (the Office of) Civil Defense or the military itself," he said.

Rolenda Fasumalie, Guam International Airport Authority spokeswoman, said an airport fire-fighting unit was deployed.

The airport's fire trucks, with sirens blaring, entered the base around 9:45 a.m.

From outside the base fence in Yigo, smoke could be seen on the horizon, billowing from the northern end of the runway.

Firetrucks could be seen on the runway.

The Offices of Homeland Security and Civil Defense received a report of an aircraft incident at 8:50 a.m. Guam Waterworks Authority was requested to assist firefighting units on base, said spokeswoman Jenna Gaminde.

Guam Waterworks Authority was requested to assist the Guam Fire Department and all military officials on scene with a water tanker, the release states.

B-52 squadron from North Dakota

The 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Minot Air Force Base, in North Dakota, began its deployment on March 2 as part of a rotation of aircraft bombers and crew to Guam.

The squadron replaced its sister unit, the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron in support of the U.S. Pacific Command's continuous bomber presence, according to Andersen.

"The B-52 is a symbol and a strategic projection of power," said Maj. Luke Dellenbach, 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron's assistant director of operations, in announcing the squadron's Guam deployment in March.

"The training environment and airspace out here is great. There are a lot of individuals in the squadron that have not had the experience flying a long-range distance over oceanic waters, so this will be a great opportunity for them," Dellenbach said of Guam in March.

This story is developing. More information will be posted as it becomes available. 

Audience Analyst Masako Watanabe contributed to this report.

Air Force Times staff writer Oriana Pawlyk contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.

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