A massive fire has broken out near the infamous Area 51, sending plumes of smoke into the sky and UFO enthusiasts into a panic.
A livestream camera, set up on private land just outside the heavily guarded Groom Lake facility near Rachel, Nevada, captured eerie footage of smoke rising from deep within the classified base.
The blaze was sparked by the Gothic Fire, which has grown from 8,000 acres to 35,000 since starting on July 4. It has been confirmed as a lightning-sparked wildfire.
But that hasn’t stopped speculation from spiraling online, with conspiracy theorists claiming everything from a crashed experimental craft to a cover-up gone wrong.
‘I’m not saying anything other than it was aliens,’ Skywatch Signal, a group that monitors strange sightings, shared on X.
Area 51 has become a cultural phenomenon thanks to decades of conspiracy theories connecting the base to UFOs, aliens and experimental aircraft testing.
While the fire is outside of the military base, it is currently sweeping over where above-ground nuclear testing occurred, the Nevada Test Site, which sits 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
This site, now known as the Nevada National Security Site, was established for nuclear weapons testing during the Cold War, and there is still nuclear debris and contamination in the area.
A livestream camera, set up on private land just outside the heavily guarded Groom Lake facility near Rachel, Nevada, captured eerie footage of smoke rising from deep within the classified base
While the fire (red) is outside of the military base (bottom right), it is currently sweeping over where above-ground nuclear testing occurred, the Nevada Test Site, which sits 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas
The fire is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense, which is listed as the landowner for Area 51 and surrounding regions.
The Gothic Fire is primarily spreading through northern Nevada, gaining fuel as high temperatures and low relative humidity hit the state.
The area is also littered with timber, specifically pinyon and juniper, and grass allowing the fire to continue its path of destruction.
Despite the fire’s growth, no evacuations have been ordered, and no structures are threatened.
It’s currently zero percent contained with no estimate on full containment.
Area 51 is a highly classified US Air Force facility located within the Nevada Test and Training Range, approximately 83 miles north-northwest of Las Vegas.
Officially known as Groom Lake, the base is situated near a dry salt flat of the same name, nestled between the Nellis Air Force Range and the rugged Groom Mountain range.
It lies just outside the tiny desert town of Rachel, Nevada, along the so-called ‘Extraterrestrial Highway,’ which is formally called Nevada State Route 375.
Area 51 is a highly classified US Air Force facility located within the Nevada Test and Training Range, approximately 83 miles north-northwest of Las Vegas
The base, established in 1955, remained largely unknown until 1989 when Robert Lazar claimed on TV that he worked at a secret site near Groom Lake, ‘S-4,’ studying alien technology and spacecraft.
The US Air Force and government has denied those claims.
The footage has spark wild conspiracies online, with one X user saying: ‘Are they trying to destroy evidence now that a congressman has asked for access to Area 51?’
Another user asked if people ‘finally stormed Area 51,’ recalling how 500,000 people committed to rushing the base in July 2019.
