Some widely-spread videos on social media claim to show the Eiffel Tower ravaged by flames. The Cube took a closer look.
ADVERTISEMENTImages have been circulating on social media supposedly showing Paris’s most recognisable landmark on fire.
They’ve been viewed millions of times and have received thousands of comments and likes – but there’s more to them than meets the eye.
One particularly prominent video that’s been doing the rounds, first on TikTok and later on X, apparently shows the Eiffel Tower burning against the Parisian sky, with emergency service sirens blaring in the background.
As well as having almost 7 million views at the time of this fact check, it’s also got plenty of comments asking if it’s true, and even if there have been any casualties.
Well, no, there haven’t – because the pictures aren’t real.
You can check for yourself on the various Eiffel Tower live streams online, none of which show a fire or any signs of fire damage.
There’s nothing on the official Eiffel Tower website either: there’s been no announcement, and things are still open and operating as normal.
In fact, the video was first shared on YouTube last year, and if you look at its title, you can see it’s labelled as VFX – for visual effects – and CGI – computer generated imagery.
So this isn’t the massive emergency that others might have you believe.
Since this video has been widely shared under false pretences, plenty of other similarly misleading images have started to spread.
Another montage shows real footage from the devastating fire at the Notre Dame cathedral back in 2019, but mislabelled as being somehow connected to an Eiffel Tower fire.
In the footage, you can see the cathedral’s spire burn and collapse in the fire that went on to destroy most of its roof.
The video then shows other misleading images of the Eiffel Tower up in smoke.
One shows a model on fire, while others are digitally altered images of the real thing.
It’s worth pointing out that there have been absolutely no statements from anyone you might expect to have heard from had such an iconic landmark really caught fire.
French President Emmanuel Macron hasn’t said anything, and there have been no statements from the emergency services in Paris.
Compare that to the Notre Dame fire, which received widespread, international media attention, as well as statements of support from figures in France and leaders across the world.
So not to worry: the Eiffel Tower still stands tall.