WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Footage shows the Sydney Opera House on fire.
OUR VERDICT
False. There are no reports of a fire at the Opera House and the footage is likely AI-generated.
AAP FACTCHECK - The world-famous Sydney Opera House has not gone up in flames, contrary to a claim spreading online.
A video generated using artificial intelligence (AI) began circulating last week, supposedly showing flames spreading across the distinctive white sails.
One user who posted the footage garnered 12 million views.
The video posted on Facebook supposedly shows three angles of the Sydney Opera House with plumes of smoke and flames spreading from the building.
During a close-up shot, a man can be heard saying: "Mate, I can't believe this. What's happening?".
However, the building in the footage is likely AI-generated as it is structurally inconsistent with the actual UNESCO World Heritage Site on Sydney Harbour.
The actual Opera House consists of three groups of white, sail-like shells arranged in sequence from north to south.
However, the AI-generated version features sails extending into the harbour to the north and, seemingly, also to the west, facing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
As well as the two main structures, the real Opera House site has a third, smaller building at the southern end housing the Bennelong restaurant.
However, the third building is absent in the AI-generated video.
A live webcam of the Opera House also shows no sign of any fire damage.
An Opera House spokesperson told AAP FactCheck there had been no fire and there have been no credible reports of a fire at the building either.
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