Alwaght- A massive fire has erupted near a NATO military base in western Turkey, with authorities investigating possible act of sabotage.
The inferno blew through the grassy wooded area on Sunday evening in an area straddling the Sahintepe and Mevkiinde districts in the city of Izmir and perilously spread near NATO’s military base pushed forward by strong winds.
Some reports say the fire has been contained, though. Other reports say the NATO base, the Allied Land Command (LANDCOM), is still threatened by the raging fire.
Reports say the fire may engulf several populated areas. It has already hit a home for the elderly and its neighboring garden but no casualties are reported.
Turkey’s T24 News said the fire is suspected to be an act of “sabotage.” The speculation is particularly strengthened amid a Turkish crackdown on people deemed involved in a recent botched coup in Turkey.
Under the NATO nuclear weapons sharing program, Washington maintains its largest overseas nuclear arsenal in Turkey, consisting of up to 50 nuclear weapons, according to some estimates. The nukes however are stored at the base at Incirlik, and none are reportedly stored in Izmir.
