Overview

• The claim spread this week on X and Instagram from an account known for anti-Islam content, drawing roughly 14,000 likes and about 370,000 views.
• A reverse image search and visual cues such as the parking lot shown in the clip confirm the burning building is not Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica.
• City records show the Trois-Rivières church closed in 2018, was deconsecrated in 2020, was under private renovation, and was destroyed beyond restoration.
• Firefighters and local reporting said the cause could not be determined but was likely accidental and related to roof work, with no evidence of arson or links to Islam.
• The same footage has been repeatedly reused and mislabelled online, including false claims tying it to Wales, edits removing context from Trudeau remarks, and posts alleging Islamic State involvement.