Fact Check: Israel-US-Iran conflict–Dubai airport on fire? No, video from 2020 goes viral

Hyderabad: Amid escalating tensions between Iran and Gulf countries, a video is circulating online claiming to show a fire at Dubai airport caused by Iranian airstrikes.

The video surfaced after a drone strike linked to Iran hit a fuel storage area near Dubai International Airport on March 16, triggering a large fire and forcing a temporary suspension of flight operations.

According to an Al Jazeera report, dated March 16, Dubai authorities successfully contained the fire resulting from the impact on one of the fuel tanks in the vicinity and no injuries were reported.

The clip in the viral posts appears to be filmed from a moving car and shows a building-like structure burning intensely, with thick smoke billowing into the sky.

Several users shared the footage on X and Facebook. One user on X, who shared the video, wrote, “Dubai badly hit by Iran multiple times. The closest video footage from the site of the burning fuel tanks at Dubai International Airport (DXB). Clicked by Indians, Dubai authorities are angry for circulating such videos by Indians.” (Archive 1, Archive 2)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video actually shows a massive fire at a market in Ajman, UAE, in 2020, and is unrelated to the recent escalations involving Iran.

Analysis of the viral video

A reverse search of the keyframes of the viral video did not yield an exact match. However, several news reports about a fire at a market in Ajman, UAE, in 2020 were found. Although the visuals appeared similar, it could not be conclusively established that they show the same incident.

Using this information, we conducted a keyword search and found a video on YouTube that closely matched the viral clip. The video was published on August 6, 2020, and the title suggested it shows a fire at a market in Ajman.

The YouTube video appeared similar to the viral clip as it is also filmed from a moving car and shows a massive blaze engulfing a building. In both videos, a small white room-like structure is visible adjacent to the burning building, with a street lamp positioned in front of it.

We have added a comparison image below, pointing out the similarities in the videos.

According to a report published by Reuters on August 6, 2020, a large fire broke out at a market in the emirate of Ajman on the evening of August 5. The authorities confirmed that the fire caused no injuries or deaths and was brought under control.

Where did the fire take place?

Upon closely examining the viral clip, we noticed a directional signboard captured in the video. The board shows multiple directions, and on zooming in, we could read two locations, which are ‘School Complex’ and ‘Government Buildings’.

We geolocated the site on Google Maps and found that the building seen on fire was on Sheikh Zayed Street in Ajman. We also found the same directional sign visible in the viral video on Google Street View.

A market named ‘SALEM SHOPPING CENTER’ is located just before the site where the fire broke out in 2020. A brief glimpse of this market is also visible in the viral video, where the letters ‘SAL’ from ‘SALEM’ can be seen.

The geolocation confirmed that the fire seen in the viral video took place in Ajman, UAE, in 2020, not in Dubai. While there are reports of a fire near Dubai International Airport, this old video has been misrepresented on social media.