Viral video showing crowd setting fire to a petrol pump is AI‑generated
A video circulating on Facebook claims to show an angry crowd setting fire to a petrol pump after failing to obtain fuel. A Dismislab fact-check finds the claim to be false. The video was generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
On March 6, a personal Facebook profile posted the clip with the caption: “People set fire to a petrol pump after not getting fuel—public excitement.” By the time this report was prepared, the video had been shared 568 times and viewed more than 525,000 times. The six‑second video shows several people appearing to protest by setting fire near a fuel station. Several other pages (1, 2) and profiles shared the same video with identical claims.
Dismislab’s analysis found multiple inconsistencies in the footage. At the two‑second mark, objects thrown toward the pump suddenly disappear in midair. In the third second, a man turns his head, but as he does so, his hair abruptly transforms into a distorted facial shape. In the final second, the same individual appears to move dangerously close to the flames in a way that defies realistic physical behavior.
Further verification using AI‑content detection tools Hive Moderation and Sight Engine confirmed that the video was almost certainly AI‑generated. Sight Engine identified a high likelihood that the footage was created using the OneAI generator model.
In short, the video allegedly showing a crowd setting fire to a petrol pump due to fuel shortages is not real. It was created using artificial intelligence.
Recent news reports have noted that fears of a potential fuel shortage in Bangladesh—stemming from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East—have led to increased crowds at filling stations in Dhaka and other parts of the country. The viral video, however, has no relation to those events.
