The Truth Behind California Wildfire Misinformationย 
by Kayla Grant
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January 17, 2025

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The Truth Behind California Wildfire Misinformationย 

Southern California is currently battling severe, deadly wildfires. Beginning on Jan. 7, the fires in the Los Angeles Country area have taken the lives of at least 27 people, according to the Los Angeles Times, and destroyed tens of thousands of structures, homes and businesses.

Amid the struggle to extinguish the flames and cater to displaced Los Angeles residents, fire and city government officials โ€” including L.A.โ€™s first Black woman mayor Karen Bass โ€” have to fight against false information. From AI-generated images to claims of the fires starting due to a โ€œsatanic ritual,โ€ there is a lot of false information spreading across the internet.

With misinformation spreading, itโ€™s important to make sure you know all of the facts. Here are six truths about the false stories surrounding the Los Angeles fires.

False: Mayor Karen Bass Cut the Firefighting Budget By $23 Million Before The Wildfires

True: The LAFDโ€™s Budget Grew By 7% Compared To The Prior Fiscal Yearย 

 

On the surface, this falsehood has some truth to it. Mayor Karen Bass proposed a $23 million reduction in the Los Angeles Fire Departmentโ€™s spending for this fiscal year. However, while her proposal was being reviewed, there were two line items excluded from the budget plan. By November 2024, the City Council approved $53 million in salary increases and $58 million in department purchases. The budget, after adding the raises and new equipment purchases, increased by more than 7% compared to the prior year, cityโ€™s financial analysts told the Los Angeles Times.

False: The Hollywood Sign Is On Fire

True: The Hollywood Sign Is Not, Nor Has It Been On Fireย ย 

 

Several deep fakes, or AI-generated images, have been circulating social media showing the infamous Hollywood sign on fire. Some of them even show Governor Gavin Newsom standing in front of the sign in flames. Many Los Angeles residents have shared real images, debunking the rumor. Reuters later reported that the iconic landmark was never on fire.

False: Oregon Fire Trucks Were Turned Away Or Delayed In Sacramento For Emissions Tests

True: All Out-Of-State Trucks Take Part In A 15-Minute Safety & Equipment Inspection

 

California officials are accepting help from hundreds of out-of-state country resources to extinguish the fires. Every fire team coming to assist the state has to first visit a California Mobile Equipment Facility for a โ€œsafety and mechanical inspection,โ€ as outlined on the CAL Fireโ€™s social media page. Recognizing that fire engines are โ€œcomplex pieces of equipment,โ€ mechanics inspect the vehicles to make sure itโ€™s safe to respond to the incident.

The narrative that Oregonโ€™s fire trucks were being held and ultimately turned away in Sacramento is false. In fact, by the time political commentator Dinesh D’Souza tweeted the false statement to his 4.7 million followers, the firefighters already started and completed their first shift.

โ€œOur firefighters left Oregon mid-morning on Wednesday (1/8) from various locations in the state. These strike teams traveled to Sacramento where they stayed the night. On Thursday, Jan. 9, at 6 a.m., they went through a routine safety check with CAL Fire to make sure the engines are mechanically sound,โ€ said the Oregon State Fire Marshal in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. โ€œNo engine was turned away. They all completed the safety check and all 15 strike teams arrived in Southern California on Thursday and began their 24-hour shift early Friday morning.โ€

False: Standing Trees Are Evidence of a Laser Attack / The Outbreak Began From a โ€œSatanic Ritualโ€

True: The Cause Of The L.A. Fires Is Still Being Investigatedย 

 

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There have been many claims about what started the L.A. fires. Officials are still investigating the direct cause, but hurricane-force winds, low humidity and drought conditions all played a role, according to forecasters and scientists. While there is still a lot unknown about the wildfires, fire officials confirmed that none of the fires started from a directed energy weapon attack or a โ€œsatanic ritual.โ€ The standing trees are actually a result of internal moisture, experts told Reuters.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosivesโ€™ National Response Team was deployed to investigate the cause of the Palisades Fire on Monday. Fire officials have not publicly identified the cause of the Eaton Fire, which impacted the historically Black neighborhood of Altadena. โ€œMultiple lawsuits allege the fire was started by utility equipment owned by Southern California Edison, the largest power provider in Southern California,โ€ according to USA Today, but the cause is still being investigated.

LA Times climate columnist Sammy Roth further explains: โ€œAfter two wet winters fueled the growth of grasses and brush โ€” ideal kindling for fires โ€” across SoCal mountains and hillsides, the last few months saw an abrupt shift to record-dry conditions. This kind of weather whiplash is a hallmark of global warming. Add explosive Santa Ana winds to the mix, and itโ€™s a recipe for apocalyptic infernos.โ€

False: Firefighters Are Using โ€œWomenโ€™s Handbagsโ€ To Put Out Fires

True: The LA Fire Department Chief Clarified That Firefighters Were Actually Using Canvas Bags

 

During the midst of the wildfires, a video circulated of a LAPD firefighter using what media personality Alex Jones falsely called โ€œwomenโ€™s handbagsโ€ to extinguish a small trash fire. LA Fire Department Chief Erik Scott clarified in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that the firefighters were actually using canvas bags. They are used regularly in fire departments to put out small fires because they are easy and faster than hoses.

False: California Ran Out Of Water / The Water Reservoirs Are Dry

True: The Reservoirs Are Full And Water Is Available

 

There are several statements circulating about California’s water availability, including accusations from right-wing commentators and President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. Governor Gavin Newsom directly debunked these falsehoods on his fact webpage. In summary, the governor shared that the regional water reservoirs are at โ€œhistorical highs,โ€ changes in the water management system would not have impacted the fire response, and wildland firefighters use water tenders instead of fire hydrants to ensure continued water access.

He also noted that he is launching an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure in the Santa Ynez Reservoir, a 117-million-gallon water storage complex near the Pacific Palisades that was under renovation when the fires sparked. Officials closed the reservoir in February for repairs to its cover, according to the LA Times.

David Freyberg, PhD, a hydrologist and water resources specialist at Stanford University, told CBS News that it’s unclear how much of an impact Santa Ynez would have had on the wildfires.

“The reservoirs above Pacific Palisades were not designed to support fire-fighting at the scale of [this] fire,” he wrote. “Water supply reservoirs are typically designed to cope with house fires, not wildfires.”

“It is clear that communities vulnerable to wildfire are going to need to think carefully, i.e., rethink, about design criteria for these systems,” Freyberg said. “Not just reservoirs, but pipe sizes [and] pressure management.”

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