Hawaii wildfires: 'Directed energy weapons' and other false claims go viral
A similar image claims to show a huge beam of light in Maui just before the wildfires. But it showsThere are claims circulating about videos from Maui showing some trees still standing while houses and vehicles have been burned, with people pointing to the pictures as "evidence" that the fires were deliberately set or that their real cause is being hidden from the public.
One post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, includes a video of the destruction and the message: "Everything is burnt but the trees, but don't point that out or you're a conspiracy theorist." That post has been seen more than 24m times.But the photo - which was challenged by X's Community Notes feature, where users add context and facts around viral content - clearly shows burnt vegetation, along with some still-standing palm trees.
One viral video includes claims by a podcaster that native landowners in Maui have refused to sell land to investment management companies and rich locals. He notes the false "directed energy weapon" rumours before going on to speculate that there might be something to them because news outlets have called the rumours "conspiracy theories".
Another viral thread was seen 10m times on an X account that frequently spreads false information debunked by Community Notes. It includes a list of wealthy people who purportedly own property on Maui, a video including aerial footage of Lahaina, and claims that the pattern of destruction is suspicious.
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.
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