This year, the heat in India is at its peak. Rajasthan is experiencing the worst impact as a severe heatwave is sweeping through North India. The maximum temperature recorded in Phalodi, Rajasthan, was 50 degrees Celsius, while in Barmer it reached 48.8 degrees Celsius, and in Bikaner, it reached 47.2 degrees Celsius. In this context, a video (here, here, here, here, and here) of a JCB machine passing through massive flames of a fierce fire is being widely shared across social media platforms with the claim that it shows a massive fire caused by severe heat in Bikaner, Rajasthan. In this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of a massive fire accident caused by severe heat in Bikaner, Rajasthan.
Fact: The visuals in this viral video show a fire accident that occurred in Pooppara, Idukki, Kerala. According to news reports, pipes stored near the Idukki Poopara village office for the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ water supply scheme caught fire on 01 March 2024. Officials from the Irrigation Department stated that pipes worth more than Rs. 2 crores were destroyed in this incident. However, the initial reports couldn’t ascertain the cause of the fire. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
To find information about this viral video, we conducted a Google reverse image search using keyframes from the video. This search led us to a video with similar visuals uploaded to YouTube on 03 March 2024, titled “Fire in Pooppara: Hoses stocked by the water authority caught fire” (translated from Malayalam to English).
Taking a cue from this, we conducted a relevant keyword search. This led us to a news report uploaded on a YouTube channel named ’24 News’ on 01 March 2024, where similar visuals of this fire accident can be seen from different angles. According to the video description, this incident occurred in Pooppara in Idukki, Kerala, where plastic pipes caught fire.
Upon further investigation, we found several news reports (here, here, and here) about this fire accident. According to these reports, pipes kept near the Idukki Pooppara village office for the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ water supply scheme caught fire on 01 March 2024. The preliminary conclusion of the Water Resources Department is that High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes worth more than Rs. 2 crores were destroyed in this incident. Officials of the Irrigation Department stated that a few pipes were removed with the help of earthmovers. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
We also searched for information regarding recent fire accidents in Bikaner, Rajasthan. According to a news report by ‘Amar Ujala’ dated 24 May 2024, a fire broke out in a transport company named ‘BJT Cargo Express Company’ in the Rani Bazar area, under the Kotgate police station in Bikaner, around 6:00 AM on 24 May 2024. Upon receiving information about the fire, three fire brigade vehicles reached the spot. The firefighters managed to control the fire after a lot of hard work. There were no casualties in this fire accident, but goods worth lakhs of rupees were burnt to ashes. Additional news reports about this incident can be found here and here.
To sum up, the video of a fire accident in Kerala’s Idukki is being circulated as visuals of a fire accident in Bikaner due to scorching heat.
