A post shared on Facebook allegedly shows footage of a “portal” in the Gulf of Mexico opened by the European Organization for Nuclear Research’s (CERN) Large Hadron Collider.

Verdict: False

There is no evidence to suggest the video shows a portal opened by the Large Hadron Collider. The footage stems from a 2021 gas pipeline leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

Fact Check:

The CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest particle accelerator, was restarted in July 2022 following a three-year pause, according to NPR. Scientists at the facility say the collider has allowed them to observe three new “exotic particles,” Fox News reported.

A video shared on Facebook claims the device opened up a fiery portal in the ocean. It shows a fire burning in the sea near an oil rig as boats around it douse the inferno with water. “This ‘eye of fire’in the Gulf of Mexico was actually a portal opened by the Hadron Collider, CERN,” reads the post’s caption.

The claim is incorrect. The fire visible in the video stems from an underwater pipeline leak that occurred in July 2021 in the Gulf of Mexico. CBS News shared the same footage in a July 2021 article that explained the fire was the result of leaked gas that was ignited by a lightning strike. Pemex, the Mexican state-owned oil company that operates the pipeline, issued a statement about the incident also claiming it was the result of a lightning strike. (RELATED: No, This Footage Does Not Show China’s ‘Artificial Sun’ Being Launched)

Footage of the leak has appeared in articles and videos from CNN, The Guardian and The Independent, none of which attribute the incident to the Large Hadron Collider. Check Your Fact found no credible news reports suggesting any connection between the fire and the collider.