A viral video that claims to show thousands of residents being evacuated from Los Angeles due to raging wildfires has been debunked.
Despite the alarming narrative spread across TikTok on January 19, 2025, this footage actually hails from a Catholic gathering in Portugal.
Misleading Claims
The video’s caption misleadingly suggested that it depicted people fleeing from California’s wildfires.
However, a fact-checking group known as AFP revealed that the 33-second segment featuring large crowds was filmed during World Youth Day in Lisbon, an occasion entirely divorced from any emergency situation in the United States.
World Youth Day Context
World Youth Day took place in August 2023 and attracted approximately 1. 5 million young people who gathered for an outdoor Mass led by Pope Francis.
This event marked the joyous return of the gathering after a hiatus caused by the pandemic.
Many attendees shared their personal journeys of faith, inspired by the sense of unity and devotion present throughout the event.
The gathering also highlighted stories of perseverance, much like the experiences of notable Christian athletes in Super Bowl history who have openly expressed their faith on a global stage.
With music, prayer, and messages of hope, World Youth Day 2023 reinforced the importance of faith in overcoming challenges.
Fact-Checking Efforts
Spreading across various social media platforms, the video has also seen previous misinterpretations linking it to reports of Palestinian refugees affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
By employing reverse image searches and natural language processing, AFP successfully traced the footage back to Tejo-Trancão Park in Lisbon, where it was shot on August 6, 2023, amid the vibrant celebrations of World Youth Day.
This thorough investigation highlights the importance of verifying information before sharing on social media, especially in times of crisis.
Source: Premierchristian.news
