Video shows a fire breakout in Ohio’s Cleveland and it dates back to June 2022
In early August 2023, a series of wildfires broke out in the U.S. state of Hawaii, predominantly on the island of Maui. wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui are the deadliest the United States has seen in over a century,The wind-driven fires prompted evacuations, caused widespread damage, and killed at least 111 people in the town of Lahaina.
Against this backdrop, a viral video claiming the fire is spreading in Hawaii through the streets is doing the rounds on social media. The video shows flames and smoke blown across a street by strong winds, and the caption states” New images from Hawaii show the fire spreading with incredible force through the streets #Hawaii #wildfire”
Fact Check-
A reverse image search on Google with the key frames of the video led us to a YouTube video on an unverified channel, dated June 18, 2022 and titled: The Flats On Fire In Cleveland, Ohio. The video matches with the viral clip and the caption indicates that it might be from Cleveland, Ohio, not Hawaii.
In further search we found an article from Yahoo News, dated 21 June, 2022 which carries the similar visuals of the viral video. As per the article, a mulch fire spread in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, in the early hours on June 18, likely caused by ‘careless smoking’ and strong winds.
We also found another YouTube video titled “Cleveland Flat Mulch Bed Fire” posted on 18 June, 2022 by the licensing platform Viral Hog shows the same visuals.
We also found a tweet by Cleveland’s fire department addressing the incident at the time with a caption “Grass/Mulch Fire last night in the flats. #CLEFIRE Engines 1 & 2 responded. Dramatic footage, but no damage/injuries reported. Likely caused by careless smoking. 1 cigarette + dry mulch + strong winds = this scary scene. Please extinguish cigarettes/cigars & dispose properly”
Conclusion-
Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral image to be False. The viral video showing flames and smoke being blown by heavy winds is from a fire in Cleveland, Ohio and it dates back to June 2022. It is not related to the recent Hawaii wildfires.
Title:Old video from Cleveland goes viral linking to wildfire in Hawaii
Written By: Usha ManojResult: False
