From laser weapon to land grabbing, bizarre conspiracy theories about Hawaii wildfires surface

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The devastating wildfires in Hawaii, which killed over 100 people and left many homeless, have led to some bizarre conspiracy theories claiming that the fire is not an act of nature. Some, on social media, have been offering strange and false explanations behind the wildfire, including that a laser or “energy weapon” ignited the blaze. A few even made wild claims that celebs and other rich people conspired to start the fire and grab the lands of the victims.

While online footage has emerged as key evidence pointing to power utility lines as the possible cause, social media continues to be flooded with false claims about the tragedy.

‘Mysterious lasers’

Some photos have been doing the rounds on the internet with false claims about the cause of the fire. In one of the photos, a beam appears to hit the ground resulting in a massive fireball. The photo is being shared with the claim that it is from the ongoing Hawaii wildfires. However, according to Reuters, it is actually from a controlled burn at an oil refinery in Ohio, US, in 2018.

Another photo appeared to show a laser beam originating in the sky and targeting the ground. It was posted with the claim that a “laser weapon” or a “directional energy weapon” caused the wildfires.

The claim, however, turned out to be false. The photo actually showed the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in California in May 2018. It was shared by SpaceX’s official Instagram handle that year.

Land grab conspiracy

Another baseless theory suggested that rich and famous people along with some real estate companies, deliberately ignited the wildfire in Hawaii to grab the lands of the victims.

Some also wildly claimed that the government was behind the fire as it wanted to build an artificial intelligence-run smart city on the island, according to the New York Post.

Unharmed trees

Videos are also being circulated on social media with the claims that some trees were not burned in the Hawaii wildfires even as vehicles and houses got charred. “Everything is burnt but the trees, but don’t point that out or ur a conspiracy theorist (sic),” the text attached to one such clip read.

But, according to an article in Britannica, some trees can survive wildfires due to “a clever layer of thermal insulation provided by their bark, dead leaves, or moist tissues”. The article gave examples of some trees like the Australian grass tree and South African aloes that “retain dense, dead leaves around their stems to serve as insulation against the heat of a wildfire”.

Meanwhile, the search is currently underway for the victims of the Hawaii wildfires as authorities strive to douse the blaze.

Governor Josh Green said on Tuesday that the death toll has climbed to 106 while saying that it will be “very difficult” to identify those killed, reported CNN.