A wildfire near Area 51, a secretive US Air Force facility in Nevada, has spread rapidly and is only 7% contained, according to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

The fire, known as the Quail Springs Fire, was caused by lightning and has been raging for nearly a week. It now covers more than 13,500 acres (54.6 sq km).

Factors including the rough terrain, high temperatures and dry winds have seen it grow significantly. The area is under an extreme heat warning until at least Sunday and no rain is expected in the near future.

Homes or public spaces are not threatened, the BLM said, although the small town of Rachel has been given a smoke warning.

The fire is spreading in an area called the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) - a restricted area that is closed to the public.

This military reservation is close to Area 51, which was created during the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union as a testing and development facility for aircraft.

What goes on inside today is extremely secret. Members of the public are kept away by warning signs, electronic surveillance and armed guards.

This secrecy has helped fuel many conspiracy theories, the most famous of which is that the site hosts aliens that have crashed from space. The US government has denied this.

Nevada is not the only US state to experience wildfires recently.

More than a million acres of land have been burned the neighbouring state of Oregon, while Canada is also still dealing with hundreds of active fires.

 

SOURCE/AUTHOR : BBC NEWS/Ana Faguy