Footage of a “mushroom cloud” filmed at a beach near Florida went viral this week, leading to speculation that a “massive explosion” had occurred near the coast of the Sunshine State.
The video, which has been viewed more than 400,000 times since Thursday, shows visitors puzzlingly looking toward a plume of smoke, far off in the distance.
However, the reality of what happened is a little more reassuring than what some may have feared.
Cavan Images
The Claim
A post on X, formerly Twitter, by user @amtvmedia, posted on April 25, 2024, viewed 400,600 times, said: “A massive explosion rocks the Florida coast near New Smyrna Beach. Any info on this?”
The post included a video taken at a beach that appears to show a large cloud in the distance. A person in the background can be heard saying “That is massive.”
Another post by user @Elmr_Fudd_again, also posted on April 25, 2024, said: “I keep seeing this video of what is obviously a huge mushroom cloud near New Smyrna Beach, #Florida, towards Cape Canaveral. Supposedly happened yesterday, Tuesday, or maybe Monday? Has anyone else heard anything on this?”
The Facts
The huge plume in the video does look like a mushroom cloud, which can result from thermonuclear or atomic explosions.
However, authorities have said that there was no explosion at all and that the thick cloud was the result of a controlled burn.
According to a report by The Daytona Beach News-Journal, officials said there was a large prescribed burn in the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday. Police told the journal they had not received any reports of explosions in that area.
A Facebook post by the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, posted on Monday, confirmed it was “planning a prescribed burn for Tuesday and Wednesday April 23 and 24.”
“This burn will improve habitat for the endangered Florida scrub jay,” it added.
Newsweek has contacted the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and local police in Brevard County Sheriff’s Office via email for further information.
Controlled burns can cause mushroom cloud effects, as photography from Allanton, New Zealand, in 2022, shows.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services states that prescribed burning is a land management tool that can be used for a number of purposes including “disease control in young pines, wildlife habitat improvement, range management, preservation of endangered plant and animal species and the maintenance of fire-dependent ecosystems.”
According to the Cloud Appreciation Society, clouds can form in columns above forest fires which have an appearance similar to but not the same as mushroom clouds.
These types of clouds known as pyrocumulus can form as long as the fire is hot enough to produce convection currents that lead to clouds and there is enough moisture in the atmosphere.
So, while there did appear to be a cloud similar to a mushroom cloud, which are commonly associated with nuclear explosions, the cloud caught on video does appear to have been part of a controlled burn used to regulate wildlife habitat.
The Ruling
False.
While the video shows a plume of what looks like a mushroom cloud, it almost certainly was not the result of an explosion.
Local authorities state there was a controlled burn scheduled at a nearby wildlife refuge. The refuge stated on social media in the days prior that it was planning a controlled burn to “improve habitat.”
While mushroom clouds are commonly associated with thermonuclear explosions, controlled fires can produce similar cloud patterns.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek’s Fact Check team
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.