Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call for smoke coming from an abandoned structure on the 700 block of Muddy Branch Rd., near School Dr., at approximately 1:15 on Wednesday afternoon in Gaithersburg.
According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, crews arrived to find smoke showing along with smoldering debris/trash burning on the second level of the structure that is located on the old “Nike Missile Site.” The fire was quickly extinguished.
The Nike missile launch site is a testament to the Cold War era. “Rockville W-92” was a guided missile base installed to help defend the Nation’s Capital from enemy bombers. Built in 1954, the missile launch site located west of Muddy Branch Road, housed both NIKE Ajax and Hercules missiles. The launch site contains three missile silos and a collection of barracks and out-buildings. The Nike site remained operational until 1974, when rendered obsolete by the refinement of intercontinental ballistic missiles. In the early years of the Cold War, the United States Army set up a battery of Nike missile defense systems around forty major US cities. The typical Nike base consisted of two operational areas: the launch area and the fire control area. The launch area contained the facilities and equipment required to assemble, test and maintain the missiles and associated launch mechanisms.
A plan that would bring 380 multi-family residential units to the site was approved by the City of Gaithersburg last year.