Why is ‘Eiffel Tower fire’ trending?
MANY people have been falling into a state of panic as rumours swirl that the Eiffel Tower is on fire.
In January 2024, social media users said they feared the popular tourist attraction was caught in flames.
Why is ‘Eiffel Tower fire’ trending?
The internet has been flooded with reports about the Eiffel Tower being on fire.
On January 21, 2024, rumours emerged on social media that the landmark had allegedly been engulfed in flames.
The claims about the Eiffel Tower on fire gained attention due to the popularity of a TikTok video which has over 2.3 million views and 49.6k likes (as of January 22, 2024).
Using AI-generated imagery, the TikTok video created the illusion of a fire on the landmark.
Therefore, it’s safe to say these claims are entirely false and the Eiffel Tower remains undamaged.
There is also no report of the fire listed on the police website in Paris.
What have people said about the hoax?
With over seven million visitors a year, it is no surprise that people rushed to social media to react to the rumours.
One person said: “No, please tell me that everything is fine with the Eiffel Tower, I haven’t visited it yet and that’s my dream.”
“Nooo that can’t be happening,” another wrote.
A third penned: “It was my dream to go there.”
A fourth commented: “Did not see this happening in 2024.”
However, some people didn’t fall so easily for the hoax, with one writing: “Can it look more simulated?”
“It’s not real chill,” said another.
A third echoed: “Come on people, how can you not tell this isn’t real”
What other hoaxes have there been about the Eiffel Tower?
The so-called ‘Iron Lady’ regularly receives calls concerning security – many of which turn out to be hoaxes.
In August 2023, a criminal investigation was launched after false bomb reports caused Paris’ Eiffel Tower to be evacuated twice.
The landmark was evacuated for around two and a half hours on Saturday afternoon (August 12) after a bomb alert.
The roughly 4,000 visitors who had been evacuated were allowed back by mid-afternoon after the tower had been searched.
However, a second evacuation took place in the evening after another alert.
French media reported that both bomb threats were posted online.
In both cases bomb disposal experts were called, but sniffer dogs established that there were no explosives present in the tower.
Another hoax is that the Eiffel Tower lights were turned off after the deadly 2021 attacks to honour the victims.
However, the lights on the Eiffel Tower go off every night at 1 am.
The hoax was so convincing that even a news organization retweeted it – again, despite it being completely false.