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

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

• Photos: Maui wildfires become deadliest in the US in more than 100 years as death toll reaches 89