Videos don’t show traffic lights ‘melting’ due to heatwave

A video compilation that appears to show traffic lights “melting” has been shared on social media with claims they were damaged by the recent heatwaves in Europe.

The clips, which have been liked thousands of times on Facebook, say that “the extreme weather is crippling daily infrastructure, with reports out of Italy and Germany showing traffic lights literally softening and melting under the sun”.

But although very high temperatures were recorded across Europe in late June, these two videos do not show damage caused by heatwaves.

The first clip shows a warped traffic light in front of yellow, pink and white buildings. We traced it back to reports of a car fire under a traffic light in Lugagnano, Italy that took place on 23 June. A video posted by a local news outlet from a different angle clearly shows a large fire next to the traffic light, which we matched to the viral video by analysing the brightly coloured buildings in the background.

The second clip shows damage to a green traffic light, with a white building in the background, which we geolocated to an intersection in Berlin. An article by German fact checkers DPA explained that the clip showed the aftermath of a fire at a club opposite the white building. Other news articles about the incident, which took place in June 2025, referenced damage to a traffic light in front of the club. A video report about the fire also clearly shows traffic lights being repaired.

Before sharing content like this which you see on social media, first consider whether it comes from a verifiable and trustworthy source. Our Full Fact toolkit can help you do this.