A massive fire broke out at a Royal Air Force (RAF) base in western England on Sunday morning. In recent months, it was used by the US to launch a campaign against Iran, and was recently the target of anti-war protests.
According to Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, crews were called to RAF Fairford shortly after midnight on Sunday.
“The fire broke out in a single-storey industrial storage building. It was safely contained and there were no injuries.” the service said in a statement.
Videos circulating on social media showed a large fire atop warehouse buildings visible from the street, with a huge plume of smoke rising into the night sky.
A massive fire was reported overnight at RAF Fairford, a British airbase hosting a large forward-deployed contingent of USAF bombers for attacks on Iran. The fire reportedly destroyed a commissary building. pic.twitter.com/cveufpjC1t
– OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) 26 April 2026
RAF Fairford houses USAF B52 and B1 bomber aircraft, and serves as a major European operating base for Washington. Hundreds of anti-war protesters rallied outside the base on Saturday to demand that Britain close military facilities used in the war on Iran.
🚨 BREAKING: Major fire at RAF Fairford, no connection to protests A large fire broke out in the Fairford area on the morning of Sunday 26 April 2026. Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue crews are at the scene of a fire at a commercial building with heavy smoke. Social media images show… pic.twitter.com/sjnFs7EQl6
– Kat Brown (@MrsBr0wn_82) 26 April 2026
Officials said preliminary data suggests the fire was accidental.
However, last week a US military aircraft was deliberately attacked in neighboring Ireland.
A man was arrested after breaking into Shannon Airport and damaging a US Air Force C-130 Hercules with an axe. According to local law enforcement, he was arrested and charged with criminal damage. No motive has been announced yet.
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