Fact Check: Viral Video of Fire Damage In Italy Falsely Related To Europe Heatwave

New Delhi (Vishvas News). People in many European countries are struggling with extreme heat, including Spain, France, Italy, Germany, and Greece. A video is circulating on social media, showing a melted traffic signal. Some users are sharing the video and claiming that the extreme heat conditions in Europe caused the traffic signal to melt.

Vishvas News investigated and found the viral claim to be false. In fact, the viral video is from Italy, where a fire damaged a traffic signal in June 2026. The video of that incident is now being shared with a false claim.

What is the viral post?

Instagram user ‘khabribhaiyaa’ shared a video (archive link) on June 30, 2026, with a caption, “Many European countries are currently in the grip of an unprecedented and historic heatwave. Temperatures in several European countries, including Italy and Germany, have reached close to 40 degrees Celsius, forcing authorities to issue a red alert. The situation has worsened to the point where even modern infrastructure is succumbing to this deadly heat. Images and reports from the streets are shocking; traffic lights are melting and falling due to the intense heat. Furthermore, the extreme temperatures are causing paved roads and highways to warp, bringing traffic to a complete standstill. Railway tracks and other vital infrastructure are also suffering significant damage.”

Investigation

To verify the viral claim, we first extracted a keyframe from the video and searched it using Google Lens. This search led us to a report published on the Italian website ‘ilbacodaseta‘ on June 28, 2026. The image published in the report and the screenshot from the viral video show the same building in the background.

According to the report, it’s a photo of a traffic light at a major intersection in Lugagnano. It did not melt because of the heat; it was damaged by a car fire.

The website ‘ilbacodaseta’ published a report on the incident on June 23, 2026, stating that the car caught fire near the main traffic light on ‘Via 26 Aprile’ in Lugagnano. Other photos and videos of the accident can be seen in the report.

We then verified the location using Google Maps. Similarities can be seen between the location shown on Google Maps and in the viral video.

Another Italian website ‘tgverona’ published a report on June 25, 2026, stating that the claim that the traffic signal melted due to extreme heat originated as a social media prank. Instagram user ‘Johnny Puttini’ posted the video. Some people believed this prank about the traffic signal melting due to heat, but in reality the traffic signal was damaged due to a car fire.

The post by Instagram user ‘Johnny Puttini’ can be seen here.

A report from the website ‘tgverona’ was shared by wrestling referee ‘Johnny Puttini’ on his Facebook profile, which stated that the damage was caused by a fire.

We contacted Instagram user Johnny Puttini for clarification. He said, “This traffic light is in Sona, province of Verona. A car parked near it caught fire, causing the traffic light to melt. My video was a joke.“

What is the context?

Many European countries are experiencing intense heat in 2026. According to a report published by ‘Euro News’ website on June 30, 2026, Germany broke temperature records for the third consecutive day. A small settlement in Brandenburg initially recorded a temperature of 41.7°C. Damage to road surfaces due to extreme heat disrupted traffic in some areas, while asphalt melting around tram tracks also led to route closures.

The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X on June 28, 2026, that more than 1,300 people had died in Europe due to heat from June 21 to June 28.

Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, heating at twice the global average. Right now 150 million people are living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling.

Driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the…

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 28, 2026

We scanned the profile of the user who shared the video of the incident with the false claim. This Instagram account, created in December 2022, has over 42,000 followers.

Conclusion: A traffic light in Italy was damaged by a car fire in June 2026. A video of this incident is now being falsely shared with the claim that the incident was caused by heat in Europe.

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• Heatwave