 "A firefighter extinguishes the fire as the Palisades Fire, one of several simultaneous blazes that have ripped across Los Angeles County, burns in Mandeville Canyon, a neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California. Reuters")
Twenty-four and counting. The death toll from the wildfires that have consumed large swathes of Los Angeles keeps rising with officials warning that strengthening winds in the coming days will worsen the situation. As of now, at least 10,000 houses and other structures have already gone up in smoke and some estimate that it could be the costliest on record — private meteorological firm AccuWeather has estimated the damage at between $135 and $150 billion.
But online, as LA residents share links on aid, rescue efforts, and pleas for help, the fires are also a ripe topic for misinformation and conspiracy theories. From the fires being set by eco-terrorists looking to draw attention to climate change to the involvement of Sean “Diddy” Combs — misinformation is raging all over.
As firefighters battle the blaze, we take a look at some of the most absurd theories and rumours that have emerged on the wildfires and try to fact-check them.
A directed energy weapon attack
The wildfires ravaging Los Angeles have been caused by a “direct energy weapon” attack designed to erode humanity, according to one of the most widely spread conspiracy theories being spread online.
This theory gained traction after a video clip surfaced online, appearing to show an unidentified object flying through the sky during the fires.
Then, another account, identified as The Patriot Voice, wrote on X, “[O]ur Government who is working hand in glove with the WEF and Blackrock, is PURPOSELY setting fires using Military grade DEWs in these areas to initiate a MASSIVE LAND GRAB.”
Many users drew parallels between the current wildfires and the devastating blaze in Lahaina, Maui , last year. One user wrote on X, “This has Maui written all over it,” while another added, “Same script, different location! Heartbreaking for those poor people.”
Many on social networks have said that palm trees standing tall in the face of the fires are proof that this is a result of a directed energy weapon attack. “Cars and homes are burned but trees are still standing,” one user wrote on X, suggesting that an apparent “heat attack” had deliberately targeted people’s livelihoods.
However, there is little to no proof that makes this claim credible. Currently, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is investigating the cause of this wildfire, which has been blazing for days now.
Also, many trees do survive wildfires because of their adaptation skills. For instance, thick barks of trees will insulate its inner layers. Also, heat from a wildfire also occurs at ground level and does not reach the tree canopy. Additionally, there are many videos and images that show thousands of trees severely damaged — many collapsed.
Incidentally, the use of directed energy weapons has been falsely linked with past wildfires too, including the ones in Hawaii and Texas last year.
15-minute cities and the wildfires
Another theory that is red hot on X is that the wildfires have been set off intentionally by US President Joe Biden and Governor Gavin Newsom to implement so-called “15-minute cities”.
The “ 15-minute city ” concept – an urban planning idea where daily necessities and services, such as work, shopping, and healthcare, are within a 15-minute walk, bike ride, or transit trip – has become a recurring theme of conspiracy theorists in recent years, who claim is a plot to trap people in ghettoised regions.
However, no one has provided any proof of this.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ angle
On TikTok, the wildfire has been linked to famous American rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs , who was arrested last September for sex trafficking and racketeering. Following his arrest, many internet users spread wild theories that famous Hollywood actors, producers, and stars were all involved.
Now, as the fires grow, a theory has emerged that the blaze was started — and will continue — in order to destroy evidence in the Combs case. Several TikTok creators have said the fires were started to purposefully destroy the “Diddy tunnels,” while others argue that the fact that so many celebrity homes were damaged or outright destroyed proves Hollywood is trying to protect their biggest stars.
It’s hard to believe this claim though, as many who have lost their homes in the fires are non-celebrities.
Mel Gibson’s arson theory
And conspiracy theories aren’t just being peddled by people online. Hollywood actor Mel Gibson, best known for his role in Braveheart, appeared on Fox News on Sunday where he claimed that people were ‘commissioned’ to start the devastating wildfires ripping through LA.
On television, Gibson, who was one of the many celebrities to lose his house, said: “I know they were messing with the water, letting reserves go for one reason or another. They’ve been doing that a while. California has a lot of problems that sort of baffle the mind as far as why they do things.’
“And then in events like this, you sort of look, well, it is on purpose? Which, it’s an insane thing to think. But one begins to ponder whether or not there is a purpose in mind. What could it be? You know, what do they want? The state empty? I don’t know.”
He further added, “And that the wind conditions were right and that there are people ready and willing and able to start fires. And are they commissioned to do so or acting on their own volition? I don’t know. But they seem pretty well equipped these people that they are catching.”
‘Fish’-ing in troubled waters
But the theories and conspiracies don’t end there. US President-elect Donald Trump has too made such baseless claims on his social media platform, Truth Social. He posted, “He [Newsom] wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California.
“Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!”
However, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office hit back in a statement accusing the president-elect of creating “pure fiction.”
“There is no such document as the water restoration declaration — that is pure fiction,” the statement said. “The Governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need.”
But this hasn’t stopped Trump’s ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk from boosting this allegation.
Blaming DEI
While the blaze rages on, rightwing media and commentary have pinned the blame of the fires on diversity within the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Last Wednesday afternoon, Musk reposted a comment on his social media platform X from the right-wing account Libs of TikTok, which hit out at the Los Angeles Fire Department’s diversity hiring policies.
“They prioritised DEI [diversity, equity inclusion principles] over saving lives and homes,” Musk baselessly claimed, without offering any evidence or explanation.
Others in Trumpworld have also lashed out at diversity policies. For instance, former Fox host and conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly said, “In recent years, LA’s fire chief has made not filling the fire hydrants top priority, but diversity.
“Who gives a sh*t if the fire chief is gay. I’m sorry, but who gives a flying fig about who she likes to sleep with, can you fight the f****ng fires, madam? That’s the relevant question.”
Another Trump supporter, Charlie Kirk, who is also a famous podcaster, wrote, “When you focus your government on diversity, equity, inclusion, LGBTQ pet projects, and you are captured by environmentalists, we have been warning for years that you are worried about abstractions, but you can’t do the basic stuff.”
Budget cuts
Many social media users have also lambasted the government for cutting the Los Angeles Fire Department budget by millions of dollars. Fox News also criticised city officials for passing a budget that “prioritised” the homeless population of the city.
However, a report by Mother Jones has rebutted this claim of a budget cut. According to the magazine, the budget cut was merely only two per cent of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Moreover, according to a Politico report, that extra funds were set aside because the department was in the process of negotiating a new contract with the city.
Mayor Karen Bass has also pushed back against claims that the budget was to blame for the fire’s spread. “I think if you go back and look at the reductions that have been made, there were no reductions that would have impacted the situation we were dealing with over the last couple of days,” she said.
California Democratic Representative Brad Sherman also told CNN that the decreased part of the LAFD budget was around training staff in 2025 — nothing to do with the current operation. “These cuts, I think, will be reversed, and should be, and they were perhaps ill-advised,” he said. “But they’re not a reason why the Palisades have suffered.”
It seems anyone and everyone is looking to blame someone for the deadly devastation that the wildfires are causing.
With inputs from agencies