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Images of completely unrelated events such as a SpaceX rocket launch or an oil refinery explosion, as well as doctored images of the actual Lahaina fire, were held up as proof that the public did not know “the truth” about what happened on Maui. The BBC and The Associated Press were quick to contextualize the misleading content, some of which received millions of views on Twitter (recently rebranded as X), TikTok, and Instagram.

Other conspiracy theorists continued to insist the damage caused by the fire looked in some way suspect. Videos of melted cars on Lahaina’s iconic Front Street, burnt boats in the marina, and aerial shots of the decimated neighborhoods served as evidence that this was not the work of a regular wildfire, according to right-wing media personalities and online conspiracy theorists who cited some vehicles and palm trees that appeared to be less damaged than their surroundings. (“It’s actually very common that wildfires will burn out structures and vehicles but leave surrounding trees, utility poles, and other vegetation unscathed,” Michael Gollner, an associate professor of mechanical engineering who leads a fire research lab at the University of California, Berkeley, told AP News.)

Scientists have warned that a buildup of dry fuel during unusually hot and dry weather driven by climate change creates the perfect conditions for wildfires to spread quickly. In the case of Hawaii, a confluence of factors including flash droughts in July, an “abundance of dry grass,” and high winds from Hurricane Dora made the fires deadly. An investigation as to what exactly caused the fire is still underway, but video footage suggests it could have been a faulty power line run by the state’s energy utility which malfunctioned during the heavy winds.

There is no evidence to back any of these claims. While some celebrities do own homes in Maui, their properties are not near Lahaina. And needless to say, discussions of smart city technology and AI have been internationally ubiquitous for years. (These two concepts are separate from 15-minute cities, though some conspiracy theorists have conflated the ideas or used the terms interchangeably.) Though these concepts have faced some legitimate skepticism, there is simply no connection to the wildfires.

To back up their claims, conspiracy theorists have fixated on a Digital Government Summit to be held in Honolulu in September, as well as a conference on information technology management that occurred in January. Both events have been occurring annually for years (the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences has been happening since 1968) and host discussions on a wide array of topics, not just AI and smart cities.

Renewable energy opponents have also circulated a speechthat Hawaii Gov. Josh Green made at the United Nations Economic and Social Council in July touting the state’s sustainability accomplishments, and a 2018 article from the World Economic Forum doing the same. But Hawaii’s own legislature has long been working toward its clean energy goals, and it isn’t surprising or controversial that its achievements are being internationally recognized.

In Europe and the U.S., initiatives aiming to reduce traffic and curb pollution have triggered conservative fearmongering over the idea of 15-minute cities, an urban planning concept that necessities such as schools and grocery stores should be just a short walk or bike ride away, reducing the need to regularly commute substantial distances. Instead, right-wing media have inaccurately painted 15-minute cities as open-air prisons that would severely restrict travel.

There is no evidence of a space laser targeting Hawaii, nor is there any indication of foreign interference tied to the wildfires. But an incident involving a Chinese satellite that occurred seven months ago is now being used to inaccurately blame China.

In late January 2023, a telescope on Mauna Kea picked an up image of green laser beams over Hawaii. The lights turned out to be coming from a Chinese satellite reportedly collecting data on pollution, but conspiracy theorists are now using the incident to suggest foul play behind the Maui fire.