Fact-Check: This Video Doesn’t Show an Ongoing Forest Fire in Goa’s Canacona

This clip of forest fire at Chapoli Hills is old and doesn't show ongoing fire in Goa that hasn't been doused yet.

Fact-check: As per the claim, there is no ongoing forest fire at Chapoli hills, Goa. This is a misleading claim with an old video of a forest fire.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A video showing a forest fire on a mountain is going viral on social media with a claim that it shows the ongoing fire at Chapoli Hills in Canacona, Goa.

The claim also states that the government is not taking measures to stop the forest fire which has been going on since the past two days.

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

(Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here. We also received a query about this on our WhatsApp tipline.)

Is the video of an ongoing forest fire?: This video is from the forest fire that happened in Canacona, South Goa on 1st May which was doused the next day.

How did we find out the truth?: We performed a reverse image search on some of the keyframes of the video and came across an article shared by The Goan on 1 May 2023.

• The report carried a screenshot from the viral video and stated that on 1 May, a huge fire engulfed a hillock in South Goa's Chapoli dam.

• It added that the fire department could not gain access to the site of the fire due to dense bushes and narrow roads.

• The report also stated that the fire was seen raging at two different spots on Chapoli hills.

• The Times of India also reported about the incident on 2 May and added that the fire destroyed several acres of vegetation and biodiversity.

Statement by the Forest Department, Goa: We reached out to the Forest Department who dismissed the claims.

• The department told us that the forest fires at Chapoli Hills started on 1 May and were doused on 2 May by the joint efforts of fire and forest department.

• They also clarified that the viral video is old and does not show any ongoing forest fire in Goa which hasn't been doused yet.

• The officials were not able to confirm the location where the viral video has been shot.

Conclusion: As per the claim, there is no ongoing forest fire at Chapoli hills, Goa. This is a misleading claim with an old video of a forest fire.

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