Hawaii fires deliberately lit

It's yet to be determined what exactly ignited the ferocious wildfires that ravaged Maui and destroyed much of the historic town of Lahaina last week, but online conspiracy theorists have plenty of thoughts about how — and why — the deadliest fires in Hawaii's history were started. Conditions were already ripe for wildfires, with a combination of persistent dry weather and drought, when Maui was hit with powerful winds on Aug. But the tragedy has spurred social media posts that would have hawaii fires deliberately lit believe that it was a laser beam from space that sparked the devastating blaze or that the disaster may be a part of a land grab or a sinister ploy to develop a minute city on the tropical island — familiar conspiracy theories that have thrived in times of disaster, hawaii fires deliberately lit. There is no proof any of these are true — often they can easily be debunked — but theories like these can thrive in times of uncertainty after a disaster strikes, say experts, as people try to make sense of a tense and emotional situation and anxiously look for a cause to gorge classifieds.

An Aug. It goes on to make an array of other claims, about school being canceled, alarms not sounding, phone alert systems not being used, donations being confiscated and officials denying aid to those who were "not compliant. The post garnered more than likes in five days. Other versions of the post continue to circulate on Instagram. Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks. The post gets multiple elements of the claim wrong.

Hawaii fires deliberately lit

A video purporting to show a wig flying off the head of former U. Skip to main content. Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals Learn more about Refinitiv. A night-time video showing streaks of green light in the sky over Hawaii predates the August wildfires in the U. Examples are visible on Instagram here and TikTok here. The wildfires in Maui, killed over a , making it the deadliest wildfire in the U. The cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained, more on this in a Reuters explainer here. There is no evidence that the blazes were caused using DEWs or laser weapons and the footage in the social media posts predates the disaster by seven months. The video shows streaks of light appearing in a cloudy night sky over the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii on Jan. On a webpage dedicated to the telescope, the NAOJ said that the laser lights were from Dqui-1, a Chinese environment monitoring satellite launched in here. Unfounded claims of DEWs have been a major theme online amidst the wildfires. More fact checks on the topic can be seen here and here. Green lights captured over the night sky in Hawaii in January predate the August wildfires. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts.

While there are specific rumours circulating about Maui, they fit into a general pattern repeatedly seen after extreme weather events and natural disasters - politically motivated activists seeking to downplay the potential impact of climate change. But this is not hawaii fires deliberately lit first time this conspiracy theory has been spread.

India Bangladesh Nepal. Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker. Claim Laser attacks led to the deadly wildfires in Hawaii in August Fact Viral images are of unrelated events from One image is most likely of a cold-weather phenomenon after a meteor strike in Michigan, while the other is of a SpaceX rocket launch in the same year.

An Aug. It goes on to make an array of other claims, about school being canceled, alarms not sounding, phone alert systems not being used, donations being confiscated and officials denying aid to those who were "not compliant. The post garnered more than likes in five days. Other versions of the post continue to circulate on Instagram. Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks. The post gets multiple elements of the claim wrong. There is no evidence that the Maui wildfires were intentionally set — as part of a "land grab" effort or otherwise.

Hawaii fires deliberately lit

Hawaii officials said Aug. Dry conditions, combined with low humidity and high winds, set the stage for the fires to spread, Maj. We found multiple social media posts using the same image to make similar claims about a laser beam starting the Hawaii fires. Direct energy weapons are real — such as lasers, radio frequency devices and high-powered microwaves — and the U. But those weapons are not depicted in the Hawaii claim.

Radar falmouth ma

It also takes place on another Hawaiian island, not Maui. India Bangladesh Nepal. We then learnt that the viral image has been in circulation since January 17, , and that it has nothing to do with lasers or wildfires. While lightning can be responsible in many situations, when conditions are right, it's humans who cause most fires globally, he said. Another user, claiming to be a resident of Hawaii, says in her viral video the Hawaii government wants Maui to become the first smart island and have the entire island governed by Artificial Intelligence. If you believe a story or statement deserves a fact check, or an error has been made with a published fact check. Alberta premier downplays link between wildfires and climate change, commits to arson investigations False wildfire and election information is thriving online. Videos and images claiming that the wildfires were not a natural disaster - and were instead caused by a "directed energy weapon", a "laser beam" or explosion - have been viewed millions of times. Hawaii's governor: 'Our hearts are broken' due to Maui wildfires. Latest audio Latest videos. Fact Check. The cause or causes of the fires on Maui are still unknown, but no real evidence has emerged to suggest they were deliberately started as part of a land grab. Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals Learn more about Refinitiv. Josh Green thanked the president for the federal government's response to the disaster and said, "Our hearts are broken. The cause of the Maui wildfires is still under investigation, but some evidence suggests power lines knocked down by strong winds may have played a role.

This combination of photos provided by Travis Secrest, a resident of Perry Township in Ohio, shows a flame at the Marathon Petroleum refinery in the winter of

Press Releases. Latest audio Latest videos. India Bangladesh Nepal. Examples are visible on Instagram here and TikTok here. Before and after images of Maui wildfires twitter. The other shows a flare from a controlled burn at an oil refinery in Ohio the same year. Copy short link. A night-time video showing streaks of green light in the sky over Hawaii predates the August wildfires in the U. In this particular post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the user claims that "the fire damage in Hawaii leaves open the question of whether the fire was caused by a [Directed] Energy Weapon DEW. By Wednesday morning, the death toll had topped more than people, although hundreds more remain unaccounted for. But it has been digitally altered. Here's how you can tackle it.