FACT CHECK: Is This Authentic Footage Of Firefighters In Los Angeles?

A post on X purports to show GoPro footage of firefighters fighting wildfires currently ravaging Los Angeles.

GoPro footage of firefighter Joseth Abel Espinoza in action. Just to give an idea of what the firefighters in LA are going through right now. #LosAngeles #la #firerescue #firefighters #CaliforniaWildfires #wildfires #wildfire #California #californiafires pic.twitter.com/PzPQyZWXrf

— Avi (@Rantaramic) January 10, 2025

Verdict: False

Footage seen is from a totally different fire, and has been used in viral videos before.

Fact Check:

The greater Los Angeles area is still struggling to contain parts of the wildfire crisis, which has raged for almost one week as of now. The Palisades and Eaton fires have become the second and fourth most costly fires in California history, and new fires seem to pop up frequently thanks to windy weather conditions.

A post on X claims to show video of firefighters trying to put out the blaze. The caption claims that it is genuine footage of firefighter Joseth Abel Espinoza, apparently using a mounted GoPro on his helmet to capture the video. Other tweets going viral on social media say various versions of the same thing.

This is all fake news, however. The three-minute video originally stemmed from firefighters in Chile, and can be seen in a video uploaded to the official GoPro YouTube channel in November 2024.

The description reads, “The brave men + women of the Third Fire Company of Ñuñoa went to work to put out the flames engulfing a burning house in Santiago, Chile.” The name Joseth Abel Espinoza is also mentioned in the description.

According to Reuters, the symbol on the helmet shown at :38 in the viral video matches the decals worn by firefighters in Santiago, Chile.

Known footage of California firefighters fighting blazes in January 2025 exists as of press time.