Post misleads about burning delivery van in London; it's diesel, not electric | Fact check
The claim: Post implies burning delivery van is an electric vehicle
A Jan. 19 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a TikTok video of a burning Ocado grocery delivery van in London. In the video, the fire spreads to a small car in front of the van and firefighters are shown arriving. A firefighter sprays water on the blaze.
"They told me to shop with Ocado because they have 0% emmision (sic) vans #vanfire," reads the video's caption.
Comments on the video show that some social media users believed the van was electric.
"Definitely an electric van," one user commented.
"How many years would it take for a petrol or diesel van to emit that amount of pollution?" wrote another.
The video garnered more than 1,400 likes in less than a month.
More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page
Our rating: Missing context
The implied claim is wrong. The van in the video is a diesel vehicle, according to fire department and Ocado spokespeople.
Fire started in diesel van, spread to adjacent electric car
The fire occurred near the intersection of Upper Berkeley Street and Great Cumberland Place in London, according to a London Fire Brigade spokesperson. The address "44 Cumberland Place," which is located at that intersection, is visible in the Instagram video.
"The fire originated in a van fitted with a diesel engine," said the spokesperson, who declined to provide a name. "Radiant heat from the van fire then caused an adjacent electric vehicle to also catch fire."
Zoe Melarkey, an Ocado spokesperson, also told Paste BN the van was not an electric vehicle.
Fact check: CO2 emissions from gas cars outweigh electric, even with battery manufacturing
Paste BN reached out to the Instagram user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response
Reuters also debunked the implied claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- Google Maps, accessed Feb. 2, 16 Upper Berkeley St
- Zoe Melarkey, Feb. 1-2, Email exchange with Paste BN
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.
Paste BN is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.