As wildfires swept across the Hawaiian island of Maui in August, leaving a wave of death and destruction in their path, conspiracy theories about the blaze spread as fast as the inferno.
While investigators still work to determine what caused the deadliest wildfire in the United States in modern history -- more than 100 people lost their lives -- those unsubstantiated rumors that gained traction online are being debunked.
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All of the false claims seem to have one thing in common: they blame "elites" or government officials for intentionally starting the fire.
One of the most popular claims is that the fire wasn't a natural disaster at all but was deliberately started by a "directed energy weapon" or a "laser beam." Images and videos purporting to show explosions from the exact moment the fire have been seen and shared by millions -- but every single one has been taken out of context.
For example, one video viewed 10 million times claims to show a large explosion in Maui just before the fires, but the video is actually of a transformer explosion in Chile, BBC News reported. Another image of a church on fire in Hawaii, viewed 9 million times, has been digitally altered to include a laser beam, the report added. Yet another photo that claims to show a beam of light in Maui before the fires is actually an image of a 2018 SpaceX launch in California.
Another false claim that quickly took off on social media pushed the directed energy weapon theory by pointing out that blue items were spared from Maui wildfires because the color isn't impacted by lasers. Some posts noted that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has a long-running program called "Operation Blue Roof," the Associated Press reported.
Footage from the aftermath, however, shows items of all colors both survived and were destroyed in the fires. Additionally, an expert told the AP a laser powerful enough to do such damage would burn items of any hue. On top of that, FEMA's Operation Blue Roof is a program that actually provides blue plastic sheeting to cover homes damaged by storms.
Yet another false claim is that the fires were started by elite property owners to steal land from indigenous populations on the island, tying names like Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bezos and Matthew McConaughey -- who all own property on Maui -- to the theory, The Independent reported.
So, what really happened? Hawaiian Electric has acknowledged its downed lines caused the initial fire. However, the utility claims its lines were de-energized by the time the fire reignited into an inferno and spread through the island, the AP reported. The blaze resulted in the death of at least 115 people and destroyed 2,000 structures.
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