Maui's Mysterious Fires: Separating Reality from Unfounded Conspiracy Theories
- IndiaGlitz, [Thursday,August 17 2023]
The Maui wildfires have sparked unusual conspiracy theories suggesting elites like President Biden and Oprah used lasers to cause the blaze intentionally. Photos claiming to depict space lasers causing destruction and trees surviving the fire have gained widespread attention on social media, fueling speculation. However, experts quickly debunked these claims.
A tweet suggesting that surviving trees indicated a conspiracy was flagged, with an article explaining that some plants survive due to insulation from their bark or moisture. Experts like Christopher Dunn from Oregon State University confirmed this explanation.
Images of supposed space lasers were also proven false. A photo depicting a laser beam turned out to be from a controlled burn at an Ohio refinery in 2018. Another laser image was a time-lapsed photo of a SpaceX rocket launch from the same year.
Conspiracy theories have emerged linking the fires to efforts to displace indigenous residents for a smart city project. However, the conference mentioned in the theory, the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, denied any such intentions. Other theories involving prominent figures like BlackRock Investment Management, Jeff Bezos, and Oprah committing arson for real estate gain have also circulated.
While the exact cause of the fires remains under investigation, lawyers suggest damaged electrical infrastructure from hurricane winds might be a factor. The fires have tragically claimed 99 lives, left 1,300 missing, and destroyed around 2,200 buildings, including much of historic downtown Lahaina.