Maui Fire Sparks Space Laser Conspiracies

The image above comes from a still-active blue check account that’s been generating traffic with bogus accounts of (presumably Jewish) space lasers starting fires in Maui.
I hate it here.

Vice:

As firefighters on the island of Maui continue to battle flare ups from the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century, conspiracy theorists on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and in particular Twitter, are spreading claims that the U.S. government used directed energy weapons to cause the deadly blazes in order to turn Maui into a “smart island.”

The posts have racked up tens of millions of views and many of them remain on the platforms without any warning that the claims being made in them are entirely false.

While the claims about the government seeking to create a smart island or turn the fire-razed city of Lahaina into a 15-minute city are new, the idea that laser weapon systems developed by the government have been used to start the wildfires are nothing new, dating back to at least the devastating wildfires that raged across California in October 2017.

These claims merge two distinct conspiracy narratives: a deep distrust of governments, and claims that undermine the role of climate change in the dramatic increase in the number of wildfires raging across North America in recent years.

The fires in Maui began on August 8 and have so far claimed the lives of 99 people, with 1,300 more still unaccounted for, making this the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in a century. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire, but there is no evidence so far that they were started deliberately. 

But almost as soon as they began, social media users were making up wild allegations about the origins of the deadly blazes. One Instagram video posted on August 11 shows footage from the aftermath of the fires, with the narrator claiming it looks like the aftermath of a bomb being detonated. It has racked up millions of views on Instagram and on other platforms where it has been reposted.

Associated Press:

CLAIM: Scenes from the Maui wildfires show cars and buildings badly damaged near trees and poles that remain standing, suggesting a wildfire wasn’t the cause.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Such observations from the fires on the Hawaiian island are not unusual, experts say. Wildfires often spew fiery embers that hit larger targets like homes and cars. Trees that catch fire are typically not completely vaporized, in part because of their water content.

THE FACTS: Amid the devastating wildfires in Maui, some social media users are advancing claims that visuals of the aftermath suggest a fire isn’t actually to blame.

“The powers to be are at work again. This was no wildfire,” a voiceover on one Facebook video states, showing photos of Maui wreckage. “A wildfire that demolishes buildings, leaving trees standing, leaving restaurant umbrellas and trees untouched – yet having the power to destroy a boat in the middle of the ocean … What we are seeing here is definitely no wildfire. Wildfires do not completely burn out vehicles, glass and all, yet leaving nearby trees and utility poles still standing upright.”

But experts say it is not unusual to see such damage after a wildfire.

“It’s actually very common that wildfires will burn out structures and vehicles but leave surrounding trees, utility poles, and other vegetation unscathed,” said Michael Gollner, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, who leads a fire research lab.

Wildfires are often spread to homes and other structures via embers — small, burning particles that break from vegetation or structures, Gollner told The Associated Press in an email.

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Below, I talked with Daniel Swain of UCLA about the conspiracies swarming around California’s fires of two years ago.

One Conspiracy Variant: (Fill in the blank with your favorite wealthy person) ‘s home was untouched by the Fire! Suspicious!