A fire has broken out at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire this morning.
Firefighters from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service were called to tackle a blaze at a commercial building in the Fairford area in the early hours of Sunday morning - now understood to be an RAF base.
RAF Fairford, a Gloucestershire military base situated close to the Wiltshire border, is currently being used by the United States Air Force to conduct operations against Iran.
The fire service have urged nearby residents to keep their windows and doors shut due to smoke produced by the fire.
Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue have indicated that the fire appears to be accidental, but investigations are underway to determine the cause.
In a statement, they said: “We were called at 1.52am this morning to reports of a fire at RAF Fairford.
"Fire engines from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service attended and were supported by neighbouring fire and rescue services.
“The fire involved a single-storey industrial storage building.
Billows of smoke rise from a building on the RAF Fairford military base
|X / OSINTTECHNICAL
"It was brought under control safely and there were no casualties."
Reports point to the fire being in an old commissary building, which is a distance from the active airfield.
Dramatic photographs and footage circulating on social media showed a large inferno engulfing a building, with a significant smoke plume visible in the early morning sky, along with multiple fire engines at the airbase.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson confirmed to GloucestershireLive that no RAF personnel were involved in firefighting efforts, adding: "We understand that the fire was inside the wire in an old/disused building.
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Another anti-war protest at RAF Fairford was held earlier this year in March
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"No persons are believed to be injured."
It remains unclear whether the fire has had any impact on operational activity at the site.
The UK Government granted the US Air Force access to RAF Fairford following the outbreak of the war against Iran.
Washington has since used the facility to deploy bombers in defensive operations against Tehran.
The American military's presence at the base has sparked significant local opposition, with around 200 demonstrators gathering outside the airfield on Saturday.
The demonstration was organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
Protesters began at midday on Saturday from Fairford High Street, walking through the town to the RAF base.
Placards bearing slogans including "no war on Iran", "US out of British bases" and "stop Trump's deadly war" were held as people marched the route.
An MoD spokesman said that requests to use UK military bases from foreign partners are "considered on a case-by-case basis, with all operational support to allies assessed against legal requirements".
They said: "For operational security reasons, we do not comment on foreign nations' military operations."
Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue have said that crews "remain at the scene" as a "precaution" to ensure the fire is concluded.
They have confirmed an investigation is ongoing but early indications suggest the cause "was nothing other than accidental.”