Claim: A bird that can breathe fire or shoot fire from its eyes caused the Los Angeles wildfires, according to a video.

Fact: No such fire-breathing bird exists. The accompanying video is actually the work of a VFX artist who created the clip back in 2020 using CGI and compositing technique.

On 23 January 2025, Soch Fact Check received a video on WhatsApp; the top portion shows an individual speaking in Arabic during what appears to be a talk show, whereas the bottom one depicts a bird breathing fire or shooting fire from its eyes before hopping away. It is accompanied by the following text:

“ہمیشہ امریکہ میں جنگل میں آگ لگنے کی خبریں سنتے تھے؟  اب معلوم ہوا ہے کہ ویڈیو میں نظر آنے والا یہ پرندہ آگ لگا رہا ہے، اللہ کے نبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے اس پرندے کا 1400 سال پہلے ذکر کیا تھا، تو صحابہ اکرام بھی تعجب کرتے تھے، سبحان اللہ
[Always heard the news about forest fires in America? It has now emerged that the bird seen in this video is setting fires. Allah’s Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned this bird 1,400 years ago, so even the noble companions were surprised, Subhanallah.]”

Soch Fact Check spoke to Rana Salahat, a journalist and fact-checker for Palestinian outlet Tahaqaq, through the Arab Fact-Checkers Network (AFCN), an initiative by the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism’s (ARIJ), for assistance in translating the man’s remarks in Arabic.

According to Salahat, he says, “A phenomenon that has left scientists in Australia baffled: Wildfires have been spreading at an alarming rate with no apparent cause [and] despite the absence of extreme temperatures. Even more astonishingly, these fires are reaching unexpected locations. In response, researchers at the University of Sydney conducted an unprecedented study. Their findings uncovered a mystery that was publicly revealed for the first time in 2018. Yet, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had warned about it 14 centuries ago.”

LA wildfires

Los Angeles is currently battling three major fires, the Palisades, Eaton, and the Hughes fires, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE or CDFFP), which noted (archive) that as of 21 January 2025, a total of 47,894 acres have been burned. Others — such as the Hurst, Auto, and the Little Mountain fires — have been contained.

While authorities have not yet provided a definitive cause of the Los Angeles fires, investigations by The Washington Post and The New York Times suggested that remnants of a New Year’s Eve blaze may have played a role.

Both publications also identified the approximate point on the map where the fire started, which is extremely close to a “burn scar” left after the aforementioned New Year’s Eve blaze next to the Temescal Ridge trail near Skull Rock.

At least 29 people have died, according to the Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (DME), and NBC4 Los Angeles reported that 14,362 structures were destroyed.

Fact or Fiction?

Soch Fact Check reverse-searched keyframes from the viral clip and found that the video is the work of Fabricio Rabachim, a “self-taught professional in Visual Effects (VFX)” working in the industry for more than 15 years.

The clip was posted on 14 December 2020 and has garnered over 356,000 views as of writing time. It is accompanied by a description in Portuguese that, when translated to English, reads as follows:

“Everyone who’s ever encountered the quero-quero protecting its nest knows how menacing it is, but few have ever seen its true power….”

Vanellus chilensis, or southern lapwing, is known in Brazil as “Quero-Quero,” a species of bird that is found mostly in Argentina and Bolivia, according to the website of the Jardim Zoológico de Brasília.

Soch Fact Check previously investigated the video on 26 October 2022.

In 2021, it was also debunked by AFP Fact Check, which quoted Rabachim as saying he worked on the original footage of the bird using “CG and a little bit of compositing for the effects”.

The footage was taken in Ibirapuera Park in Brazil’s São Paulo city, the artist had told the publication. “That day, this bird was close to me and I had my camera in my hands, so I pointed at it and the bird acted for me,” he had said.

No bird is known to breathe fire through its nose or mouth.

There are, however, reports and studies about birds that have caused or spread fire in various parts of the world, either on purpose by throwing burning sticks to force prey out of hiding or when they accidentally hit power lines, get electrocuted, and then burst into flames.

With regard to the remarks by the man in the video, it appears that he is referring to a study, titled “Intentional Fire-Spreading by ‘Firehawk’ Raptors in Northern Australia” and published 1 December 2017 in the Journal of Ethnobiology. In it, researchers “document(ed) Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and non-Indigenous observations of intentional fire-spreading by the fire-foraging raptors Black Kite (Milvus migrans), Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), and Brown Falcon (Falco berigora) in tropical Australian savannas.”

“Observers report both solo and cooperative attempts, often successful, to spread wildfires intentionally via single-occasion or repeated transport of burning sticks in talons or beaks,” its abstract reads.

Since many news outlets reported on the research in early 2018, it is likely why the man in the video said the so-called “mystery” was “publicly revealed for the first time in 2018”. However, the researchers were not associated with the University of Sydney nor did they refer to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

With regards to whether Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ever actually mentioned a fire-breathing bird or not, we have reached out to Jamia Uloom Islamiyyah Allama Muhammad Yousuf Banuri Town or the University of Islamic Studies, colloquially known as Jamia Banuri Town, for a clarification. This fact-check will be updated upon receiving a response from them.

Interestingly, Soch Fact Check found that many local media outlets that attempted to investigate the claim used our fact-check from 2022; we were able to identify this by matching the name of the Facebook page, the number of views mentioned in their voiceovers, and the visuals used in their reports. These include Express News, ARY News, AAJ TV, 24 News HD, City 42, Baaghi TV, ABN News, and Daily Qudrat.

On the other hand, Capital TV also did the same here and here but did not mention Soch Fact Check.

Many of the aforementioned outlets also published their articles and video reports using clickbait headlines and thumbnails.

Virality

Soch Fact Check found that the claim was posted here, here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook, where it garnered over 6.5 million, 5 million, 3.4 million, 3.3 million, 2.9 million, and 1.3 million views, respectively.

ARY News Urdu posted a misleading visual on Facebook; however, the article linked in the caption uses information from Soch Fact Check’s 2022 article. Similarly, Capital TV also used clickbait text in the thumbnail of its video report.

The claim was shared here, here, here, and here on YouTube, here on Instagram, and here on TikTok.

Some websites, while trying to debunk the claim, even included a dubious comment attributed to the LA Fire Department, writing that it “has clarified that no definitive statement can be made on this video at this time, as the investigation is ongoing”. These can be found here, here, and here. Soch Fact Check did not find evidence of such a remark.

Conclusion: The video is actually the work of a VFX artist who created the clip back in 2020 using CGI and compositing technique. No such fire-breathing bird exists.


Background image in cover photo: Jessica Christian


To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com

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