Video of a Supermarket Fire in UK Shared as 'Temple Burnt by Muslims'

The fire broke out at a supermarket in Birmingham and the fight was reportedly over a parking issue.

Fact-check | The fire broke out at a supermarket in Birmingham.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A video which shows flames emerging from a building is going viral on social media with a claim that a Hindu temple was set ablaze in United Kingdom's Birmingham during the festival of Navratri.

The claim also states that Muslim people thrashed Hindus outside this temple. The clip shows a police officer interfering to stop the fight.

However, the claim is misleading.

• Firstly, the fire broke out at Zeenat Supermarket in Birmingham and not at a Hindu temple.

• This incident happened on 19 September, which predates the beginning of the Navratri festival.

• The fight reportedly happened over a car parking disagreement and it was not related to the fire.

CLAIM

The video is being shared across social media platforms with a claim that a temple was burnt by "Muslims during Navratri" in Birmingham.

An archive can be seen here. 

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

Similar claims can be seen here and here.

WHAT WE FOUND OUT 

On closely observing the video, we found two boards that read 'SUPERMARKET' and 'SM VAPES'.

The board reads 'SUPERMARKET' and 'SM VAPES'.

(Source: The Quint)

We searched for the shops's name on Google Maps and found it in Birmingham.

Taking a cue, we performed a keyword search using 'Zeenat supermarket Birmingham fire' and came across a report by public service broadcaster, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from 20 September 2022.

The report stated that the fire broke out at the supermarket on 19 September, following which 12 fire tenders were sent to Alum Rock Road.

We could see the visuals, similar to the viral video, in a story published on Daily Mail on 20 September.

The viral video was carried in the report.

(Source: Daily mail/ screenshot)

The story also mentioned that the fight broke out while the firemen were trying to put out the fire. As per West Midlands Fire Service, the "investigators are satisfied that the fire started accidentally".

Further, a tweet by West Midlands Police also clarified that the fire was at a supermarket.

The tweet can be viewed here.

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

In response to another tweet on the same thread, the police also clarified that the brawl was an isolated incident and it was related to parking of some cars.

The tweet can be viewed here.

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

Clearly, the video showed a fire at a supermarket and not a temple, as claimed.

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