Fact Check

Did Fire at CIA Headquarters Reveal Giant Drug Lab?

A routine review of content labeled satire.

Published Dec. 3, 2019

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Claim:
A fire damaged CIA headquarters and revealed a giant drug lab.

On Jan. 31, 2017, World News Daily Report published an article positing that a fire had damaged CIA headquarters and in turn revealed a giant drug lab:

Fire Damages CIA Headquarters and Reveals a Gigantic Drug Lab

Langley, Virginia | A major explosion occurred last night at the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency, igniting a fire which almost completely destroyed an annex of the building and led to the discovery of a suspected drug lab.

The detonation took place around 11:30 pm last night. The powerful blast was heard for miles around the complex and sent plumes of black smoke into the air.

This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:

World News Daily Report assumes all responsibility for the satirical nature of its articles and for the fictional nature of their content. All characters appearing in the articles in this website – even those based on real people – are entirely fictional and any resemblance between them and any person, living, dead or undead, is purely a miracle.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

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Sources

World News Daily Report.   "Fire Damages CIA Headquarters and Reveals a Gigantic Drug Lab."     31 January 2017.