Wildfires ravaging Los Angeles were caused by a “direct energy weapon” attack designed to erode humanity and implement “15-minute cities”, according to bizarre conspiracy theories spreading on social media.
The theory was sparked by a clip that appeared to show an object flying across the sky during the LA wildfires.
Internet conspiracy theorists sought to draw comparisons between the ongoing wildfires and a blaze that destroyed 80 per cent of the city of Lahaina in Maui County, Hawaii.
One user wrote on X: “This has Maui written all over it.”
Another said: “Same script, different location! How [heartbreak emoji] for those poor people.”
As per the conspiracies, the purpose of such “attacks” is to erode national identities and eventually form a one-world government by destroying people’s livelihoods.
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Conspiracy theorists pointed to the fact that many palm trees had been left standing as cars and homes burned beside them as supposed evidence to support their theory.
“Cars and homes are burned but trees are still standing,” one user said, suggesting that an apparent “heat attack” had deliberately targeted people’s livelihoods.
The reality is that many trees survive wildfires owing to adaptations ranging from thick bark that insulates its inner layers and high moisture content in the wood. Most heat from a wildfire also occurs at ground level, and does not reach the tree canopy.
Footage also shows thousands of trees severely damaged, many of them collapsed and mangled.
Another conspiracy theory posits that the fire was orchestrated by Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, and Joe Biden, the US president. Their alleged motive? Stopping a high-speed rail development funded by China.
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The theory claims that the fire will inevitably deem the land unusable for residential development and will instead be repurposed to develop “15-minute cities” – a dominant lightning rod topic among the conspiracy-laden, online alt-Right movement. The “15-minute city” is an urban planning concept that aims to make most daily needs within walking or biking distance of any point in a city.
Similarly, a separate internet user asserted that all Californian fire hydrants had stopped working and that the blazes were started to destroy evidence.
“There’s always so many layers to these events,” the user noted, without explaining what evidence was being destroyed or how the fire supposedly started.
It is not out of the question that the fires were started intentionally. However, a senior LA official said there was “no conclusive evidence” that wildfires raging across the city are the result of arson – not least by government officials.
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It came after a man in his 30s was arrested for allegedly starting the Kenneth fire, which broke out in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon.
The fires have so far killed 10 people, destroyed nearly 10,000 structures and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.
Robert Luna, the Los Angeles county sheriff, said late on Thursday that he expected the death toll to grow.
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