Some videos widely circulating on social media claim to show the Eiffel Tower being destroyed by flames. I took a closer look at the cube.
Images have been circulating on social media purporting to show Paris’ most famous landmark ablaze.
They’ve been viewed millions of times and received thousands of comments and likes, but there’s more to them than meets the eye.
One particularly notable video, which first went viral on TikTok and then on X, appears to show the Eiffel Tower ablaze in the Parisian sky as emergency services sirens blare in the background.
As of this fact-checking, it has not only been viewed about 7 million times, but also has received many comments asking if it is true and whether there were any casualties.
No, actually not. Because photos are not real.
You can see it for yourself on various Eiffel Tower live streams online, and none of them show any signs of fire or fire damage.
There’s nothing on the Eiffel Tower’s official website either. No announcements have been made and business as usual.
In fact, the video was first shared on YouTube last year, and if you look at its title, you’ll notice it’s labeled VFX (visual effects) and CGI (computer-generated imagery).
So this is not the massive emergency that others would have you believe.
As this video was widely shared under false pretenses, many other similar misleading images began to spread.
Another montage shows actual footage of the devastating Notre Dame Cathedral fire in 2019, incorrectly labeled as somehow related to the Eiffel Tower fire. There is.
Footage shows the cathedral’s spire burning and collapsing in the fire, which destroyed much of the roof.
The video then shows other misleading images of the Eiffel Tower going up in smoke.
One shows the model on fire, and the others are digitally altered images of the real thing.
It’s worth pointing out that if such an iconic landmark were to actually catch fire, there would be absolutely no statement from anyone you would expect.
French President Emmanuel Macron has not said anything, and there has been no statement from the Paris emergency services.
Compare this to the Notre Dame Cathedral fire. The Notre Dame fire attracted widespread international media attention and received expressions of support from prominent French figures and leaders around the world.
So there’s no need to worry. The Eiffel Tower still stands tall.
