A MASSIVE fire has broken out near Area 51 in Nevada, and UFO conspiracy theorists fear historic evidence could be destroyed.
Dramatic images have captured plumes of smoke erupting outside the remote Air Force base north of Las Vegas.
GettyAn uncontained wildfire is encroaching on Area 51 in Nevada (file photo)[/caption]
EWU CrewDramatic surveillance footage has captured plumes of smoke erupting near the base[/caption]
A map shows the Gothic Fire burning just 15 miles from the mysterious facility
The dangerous Gothic Fire has been burning through Nevada for days, and the Bureau of Land Management, which is managing the incident, said it wasn’t contained as of Monday.
The blaze was sparked by a lightning strike that lit up trees in Clark County, just 45 minutes north of Las Vegas, on July 4.
Now, it’s swelled from 9,000 acres to 35,000 and is burning on the Nevada Test and Training Range withdrawn lands, which are used for nuclear testing.
A thick haze has also wafted all the way down to Las Vegas from the brush fire, but no one is in danger or being evacuated, according to officials.
Area 51 lies just north of the burning blaze, and surveillance footage recorded by YouTuber Explore With Us has captured the smoke rising dangerously close to the mystery base.
The camera is overlooking the Area 51 perimeter from private property in Rachel, which is the closest settlement to the facility, according to the YouTuber.
Data released by the Nevada Interagency Fire Center says the wildfire is burning just 15 miles away from the facility.
Since the fires broke out, conspiracy theorists have rattled off baseless claims about the federal government potentially using the blaze to cover up secrets.
One X user said, “This is a sanitizing event, blowing up the facility.”
The theorist guessed that “sensitive contents” could be hiding inside the facilities that need to be buried in the flames.
Others feared that aliens could have attacked to reclaim evidence exposing life outside Earth, without providing any proof to back their conspiracies.
“I’m not saying anything other than it was aliens,” wrote a user who shared surveillance videos capturing the blaze.
Meanwhile, a large swatch of users made fun of the theorists and hit back saying, “It’s a brush fire.”
“There is no unexplained activity,” one user wrote.
“They are using resources available to combat a naturally occurring wildfire.”
On Sunday, officials said that no structures were threatened and that firefighters were confining and containing the blaze instead of suppressing it, NBC affiliate KSNV reported.
The fire has been able to spread quickly because of high temperatures, low humidity, and windy weather.
What is Area 51?
AREA 51 is a highly classified US Air Force installation located in the state of Nevada.
Its official name is the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), and it is primarily used to develop and test experimental aircraft and weapons systems.
The base has sparked various conspiracy theories, particularly those involving alien technology and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), owing to its secrecy and the government’s early denial of its existence.
Area 51 is located in southern Nevada, about 83 miles (133 km) north-northwest of Las Vegas.
It was established in the early 1950s and initially used for testing the U-2 spy plane during the Cold War.
The US government did not formally recognise the existence of Area 51 until 2013 when the CIA published declassified papers.
The site has been linked to a variety of conspiracy theories about extraterrestrial life and superior technology.
Popular culture has contributed to the base’s mystery, frequently portraying it as a hub for UFO encounters and alien research.
Area 51 is surrounded by restricted airspace, making unauthorised access prohibited.
The surrounding areas are monitored, and warning signs indicate the base’s restricted status.
The base is notable for testing military aircraft, such as stealth bombers and spy planes, as well as classified technology.
AREA 51 FEARS
Little is known about what’s inside Area 51, as it’s a highly classified base used to develop and test experimental aircraft.
However, in June, a bombshell report was released that claimed the Pentagon stoked UFO rumors as a distraction while it actually spent time building dangerous weapons.
A US Air Force colonel started the rumors by visiting a bar near Area 51 and dropping off doctored photos of flying saucers that were eventually pinned to the walls, according to The Wall Street Journal’s review of the 2024 Department of Defense report.
In the report, the Pentagon also said that over the last 80 years, there has been no solid evidence of aliens or recovered alien technology.
However, that hasn’t stopped enthusiasts from trying to get to the bottom of what’s happening behind the locked doors.
Well-known Area 51 investigator Joerg Arnu called the base “The go-to place for everything the government needs to do that they don’t want us to know.”
“And if there was such a thing as a recovered UFO, Area 51 would be the place where they would bring it,” he said.
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