Donald Trump has been sentenced without penalty in the New York hush money case and wildfires continue to burn through Los Angeles. Video / NZ Herald, AFP
Wildfires in Los Angeles have sparked conspiracy theories claiming a “direct energy weapon” attack.
Theories link the fires to plans for “15-minute cities” and compare them to the Maui blaze.
Officials report no conclusive evidence of arson, though a man was arrested for starting one fire.
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 skyduring the Los Angeles wildfires.
Internet conspiracy theorists sought to draw comparisons between the ongoing wildfires and a blaze that destroyed 80% of the city of Lahaina in Maui County, Hawaii.
One user wrote on X: “This has Maui written all over it.”
Cars belonging to a dealership destroyed by the Eaton fire remain parked in a lot in Altadena in Los Angeles. Palm trees still standing can be seen in the background. Photo / AFP
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.
Conspiracy theorists pointed to the fact 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 an apparent “heat attack” had deliberately targeted people’s livelihoods.
Destruction at the Tahitian Terrace mobile home park on Pacific Coast Highway that was caused by the Palisades fire in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Photo / AFP
The reality is that many trees survive wildfires because of adaptations ranging from thick bark that insulates their 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.
The theory claims the fire will inevitably render the land unusable for residential development and it will instead be repurposed to develop “15-minute cities” — a 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.
