X Users Make Racist Claims After Fire Breaks Out at Bronx Burlington Store—’The Video Does Not Show Who Started It’

A video reshared by @ViralVideos on X has people of color, specifically African Americans, under fire again as it shows a fire blazing inside a Burlington Coat Factory Store in the Bronx. The video alleged that the fire was lit by a black man, although there is no video footage to support these claims.

The fire appears to have been started in the middle of the store between two racks of clothes. As the fire raged, nearby strangers, who also appeared to be African American, could be seen trying to prevent some of the clothes from being burned while also extinguishing the fire. However, X had a lot to say on the matter.

One of the first commenters wrote, "Unfortunate, but a predictable result, of the businesses’ timidity to prosecute. The perpetrators are living a life without consequences. Ultimately, this will end badly."

For anyone of any ethnicity to start a fire inside of an occupied store puts the lives of customers, employees, and first responders in grave danger. Whoever committed this act of arson also has no respect for the property of others.

However, although the video on X alleged that a black man was the culprit, other platforms didn't get that specific because there was no evidence to state those claims. For example, this post on Instragram reported the same act of arson inside the Burlington Coat Factory Store at the Bronx location, but there was no mention of a black man being the suspect.

The post also drew racist comments from some users. One commenter posted, "Stores have to ban blacks and when the press cries racism , show them the vids. They fight, steal, vandalize, and now start fires!"

Another X user wrote, "Let the whole place burn down… arrest them and throw the book at them. I’m so sick of seeing this crap. Animals!"

Does the Video Show Who Started the Fire?

Despite the obvious racism in the comments surrounding this video, some viewers were aware enough to point out the fact that it was a black man who put out the fire. One X commenter wrote, "At around 7 seconds (in the video), the black male was holding a fire extinguisher. Go slowly over the video. Yes black people account for most crimes per capita, but this black dude was not doing that."

It is unclear whether the man holding the fire extinguisher was an employee or a customer. The video shows him attempting to extinguish the fire before handing the extinguisher to another man, who continued spraying the flames.

About 20 seconds into the video, another person appears to move clothing away from the flames. The video does not identify who started the fire, but it shows several people attempting to move clothing away from the flames and extinguish them.

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify who started the fire or the circumstances surrounding the incident. The video does not identify a suspect.