Fact Check: Is the Bill Gates vacation home falling into the river video real? Viral claim debunked

A video of a home falling into the river with the claim that it was Bill Gates’ house is doing the rounds on the internet. It is worth noting that the home-falling incident that is being widely shared online took place in Juneau, in which a two-story house was swept away in water. However, it is not Gates' house, and people have shared the fake claim online as a joke.

A social media user, @MattWallace888, shared the video of it on X, formerly known as Twitter, by saying, "There is no way Bill Gate’s vacation home just fell into the river." They also added a laughing emoji to it.

Several people responded to it and started joking about how he would financially recover from this. Meanwhile, others reacted to it by sharing the correct information that it wasn't Bill Gates' house and people shouldn't joke about it.

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Video of Bill Gates' vacation home falling into the river is not real

The video of a house falling into the river is not of Bill Gates' vacation home. The house was owned by Joe Buffaloe and his wife Elizabeth Kent, who rented it to Elizabeth Wilkins and Tom Schwartz. The house was swept away because the Mendenhall River flooded after water was released from Suicide Basin above Alaska's capital city, as mentioned in a news release from the City and Borough of Juneau.

Wilkins and Schwartz told the Daily Mail that their rented house got swept away in the river on Saturday, August 5, 2023. Fortunately, at that time, they were traveling in Oregon when the river hit the rented house in Alaska.

Wilkins said,

"Both of us were in total disbelief, we had just paddled the river a couple of weeks before in packrafts."

They also said that they lost their precious belongings as they recently shifted all their stuff to this house.

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Internet users shared hilarious reactions to the Bill Gates' house getting swept away hoax

As internet users came across the viral tweet that claimed that it was Bill's house, social media users were quick enough to react to it. Several people reacted to it and started joking that it would be so difficult for billionaire Bill Gates to deal with this situation.

As of now, no injuries have been reported. However, experts said that such glacial floods pose a major risk. An update on Sunday evening stated that floodwaters in the area have receded.