A MASSIVE fire has broken out near Area 51 in Nevada, and UFO enthusiasts fear historic evidence could be destroyed.

Dramatic images have captured plumes of smoke erupting outside the remote Air Force base north of Las Vegas.

The dangerous Gothic Fire has been burning through Nevada for days, and the Bureau of Land Management 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Now, it’s swelled from 9,000 acres to 35,000 and is burning on the Nevada Test and Training Range withdrawn lands.

A thick haze has also wafted all the way down to Las Vegas, but no one is in danger, according to officials.

Area 51 lies just north of the burning blaze, and surveillance footage has captured the smoke rising dangerously close to the mystery base.

According to data released by the Nevada Interagency Fire Center, the wildfire is burning just 15 miles away from the facility.

Conspiracy theorists have rattled off baseless speculations about the fire, as they fear the federal government will use it to cover up secrets.

“This is a sanitizing event, blowing up the facility,” claimed one user on X.

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.

“I’m not saying anything other than it was aliens,” wrote a user who shared surveillance videos capturing the blaze.

According to officials on Sunday, firefighters were focusing on confining and containing the fire rather than suppressing it, and no structures were at risk, as reported by NBC affiliate KSNV.

The fire has been able to spread quickly because of high temperatures, low humidity, and windy weather.

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.

In June, a bombshell report was released that claimed the Pentagon stoked UFO rumors as a distraction as they built dangerous weapons.