Netflix under fire after using real-life disaster footage in 'Bird Box'

Netflix’s Bird Box is once again the center of controversy after Canada’s Lac-Mégantic train disaster footage appeared in the film. The explosion killed nearly 50 people.

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The disaster occurred in the summer of 2013 when a train carrying 74 cars of oil derailed near Lac-Mégantic’s town center. Several of the train’s cars exploded during the derailment, causing a fired that burned for hours after the accident.

By the end of it, 47 people had lost their lives and 30 buildings were destroyed. It’s considered one of the worst rail disasters in Canada’s history.

Footage of the event was taken by both professionals and bystanders at the incident, and it seems that some of the footage is available for purchase by entertainment companies.

According to The Canadian PressBird Box isn’t the only Netflix production to use the disaster footage.

High School teacher Guillaume Bouchard was watching the second season of Netflix’s Travelers when she saw images from the derailment used in the show.

Now, Lac-Mégantic Mayor Julie Morin believes the footage was used again in Bird Box.

“I don’t know if this is happening all the time, but we are looking for assurances from Netflix that … they are going to remove them,” Morin tells Canadian Press. “You can be sure we are going to follow up on this, and our citizens are on our side.”

“We find that it’s really a lack of respect, to use these images as fiction and entertainment,” she added. “It’s hard enough for our citizens to see these images when they are used normally and respectfully on the news. Just imagine, to have them used as fiction, as if they were invented.”

Netflix reportedly responded to the claim stating they would NOT be removing the clip from the film, as reported by BBC.

The production company, Peacock Alley Entertainment, behind the show Travelers stated they had received the footage from stock footage vendor Pond 5 “and weren’t aware of its specific source”.

Peacock Alley Entertainment issued an apology “to anyone who was offended, especially the victims and their families” and stated they would replace the footage in the show.

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