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A recent article surfaced online on August 17 claiming climate protesters set the Cinderella Castle at Disney's Magic Kingdom on fire. The article appeared on Mouse Trap News' website and said the incident occurred on Friday afternoon.
According to the report, the climate change rioters blocked the firefighters from taking preventive action for a few hours, adding:
"The firefighters battled it throughout the night as guests and onlookers watched as the tragedy unfolded."
The firemen were supposedly able to control the situation and save the theme park attraction from turning into ashes completely. However, as per the article, a spokesperson revealed no arrest was made for the disaster and Disney also chose not to press charges.
Reporting on the supposed public reaction to the incident, Mouse Trap News wrote that some theorized the company probably refrained from taking legal action "to show their support for climate activism". According to another alleged public speculation, an insider might have set the fire "to collect insurance money".
The article concluded by highlighting it was the second fire incident that the Cinderella Castle saw this year, referring to another report published by Mouse Trap New on February 24.
Nevertheless, the report is fake. The famed Cinderella Castle bearing the embodiment of Disney magic did not suffer a fire breakout on Friday. Mouse Trap News' 'About' page describes the website as "the world’s best satire and parody site". The page further admitted to writing made-up stories about Disney parks.
The article was shared on Mouse Trap News' Instagram feed where some netizens wondered if the news was true. A few others who were already aware of the website's satirical nature called the people who almost believed the news "mousetrapped".
Cinderella Castle at Disney's Magic Kingdom did not have a fire outbreak
Mouse Trap News shared two photos of the supposed blaze at the Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom. The same images were shared on the website's February article on a similar incident involving the same Disney attraction.
Back then, the article claimed the castle was "fully engulfed in flames" by the time the rescue service arrived at the scene to put out the fire. The February report ultimately added:
"However, the castle ended up burning to the ground and is unsalvagable."
The castle could not possibly catch fire again if it had already burned to the ground months ago, thus further debunking the August 17 article. The images that appeared in both these articles are likely AI-generated.
Mouse Trap News mentioned some real incidents led by climate activists in recent times — vandalism of Leonardo Da Vinci's signature work Mona Lisa by throwing soup at the painting and air-spraying orange paint on Stonehenge, the prehistoric structure in England.
Despite these authentic mentions, its claim about climate change rioters setting the Cinderella Castle on fire is false.
