Viral video does not show LA residents sleeping outside after wildfires but pilgrims at World Youth Day in Lisbon from Aug 2023

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search to find the original source of the video.

Posts from multiple users on social media platforms since January 23, 2025, shared an alleged video of hundreds of people sleeping and resting under the open sky, claiming that these were those who lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires. However, the video is from Portugal’s capital Lisbon in 2023.

Six simultaneous blazes engulfed wide areas of Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades since Jan 7, killing at least 14 people. The Palisades, Eaton, and Hughes fires, which together burned more than 38,000 acres, have now been contained by 95 per cent.

Rains in southern California have raised hopes for firefighters working to douse wildfires that have destroyed the surrounding areas.

HOW IT STARTED

The iVerify Pakistan team was alerted on Jan 24 about a video on Facebook and requested authentication for the content.

On Jan 23, a Facebook user shared a video showing hundreds of people wrapped in blankets, lying and sleeping in the open air.

The post’s caption said, “The strength of my Lord. Never boast of wealth and power. These are the richest people in the world. All these people used to live in big neighbourhoods and luxury houses worth billions and drive around in big luxury cars ten to fifteen days ago. Now they have become among the poorest people. These are the people of Los Angeles, America, whose houses have been destroyed by fire. Now they are forced to sleep on dirty fields and streets. May God protect us from trials

The video gained 6.3 million views and 4,300 reactions.

The clip was shared by other Facebook users as well with a similar caption here, here, here, here, here and here.

The video was also shared on Instagram with the same caption here and here.

The clip was also shared on TikTok with the same caption here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality, the high influx of content related to the LA wildfires and to satisfy the public’s request seeking authentication for the claim.

A reverse image search yielded results from August 2023 as it led to a YouTube video posted on a channel named Solo Catecumenos.

The video’s title in Spanish, “Así ha pasado la noche el millón y medio de jóvenes”, translated into, “This is how the million and a half young people spent the night.”

The title also featured hashtags of “Lisboa”, “Lisboa2023” and “JMJ2023”.

Searching JMJ2023 on Google showed that JMJ2023, also known as World Youth Day, was a Catholic festival held in Lisbon, Portuguese in 2023.

Moreover, the YouTube video also featured a watermark of the channel’s TikTok account. Redirecting to the TikTok account showed the video under investigation pinned on its feed, dated August 6, 2023.

Ecuadorian digital news platform La Republica EC also published an image from the scene showed in the video.

The caption for the image said, “Pilgrims sleep early at dawn on the last day of World Youth Day (WYD) at Parque Tejo in Lisbon, Portugal, August 6, 2023. The Pontiff is in Portugal on the occasion of WYD, one of the main events of the Church that gathers the Pope with youngsters from around the world.”

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a video shows people sleeping outside on the roads after their homes were destroyed in the LA wildfires is false.

The video is from World Youth Day, a Catholic event that was held in Portugal’s capital Lisbon, in August 2023.