This is an old video and it dates back to December 2017 when a wildfire spread across Ventura County, California.
The raging wildfires across California have wreaked havoc, claimed at least twenty-four lives and caused widespread destruction to property and land. Amidst this, a video of a man standing on the side of a road and saving a rabbit away from a large fire is going viral on social media. Those sharing the video are linking it to the California fires.
The caption of the viral post reads, “God bless this man who saved a little bunny from the raging wildfires in Los Angeles, proving that humanity still exists even in the darkest times”
Fact Check-
We started our investigation with the reverse image search on Google, whose results led us to a similar video uploaded by BBC on 7 December, 2017. The video was shared with a caption that reads, “Footage has captured the moment a man stopped his car to rescue a wild rabbit from wildfires in California. The incident took place on 101 Freeway in La Conchita. More than 150 homes have been destroyed in the Ventura area, near Los Angeles, and 50,000 people evacuated.” It indicates that the video is not recent and not related to the recent wild fire of Los Angeles.
Upon further search, we found the same video was shared on Twitter by NBC News in December 2017. The video includes text stating it was captured in Ventura County, California, which borders Los Angeles County.
The video was also uploaded by ABC7 on 7 December, 2017. The description part states, “A man pulled over on the highway and braved raging flames to rescue a wild rabbit as the Thomas Fire advanced in Ventura County”.
Moving forward, we found that Thomas Fire experienced a massive wildfire that affected Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The fire was sparked due to an electrical issue in December 2017 and was extinguished on 12 January, 2018.
Based on these evidences, we can understand that the video shows scenes from a December 2017 wildfire in Ventura County, California, and is not related to the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
Conclusion-
Fact Crescendo has found the claim made in the viral video to be Misleading. The viral the video shows scenes from a December 2017 wildfire in Ventura County, California, and is not related to the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
Title:Old video of rabbit saved from flames resurfaces linking to Los Angeles wildfires
Fact Check By: Usha ManojResult: Misleading
