LA Fire Answers: The Truths Behind Viral Conspiracy Theories
Los Angeles is still battling devastating fires which have killed at least 24 people and destroyed more than 12, 300 structures.
Investigators have only just begun looking into the origin of these fires, which started last Tuesday, but conspiracy theories have been rife online. Newsweek has contacted the L.A. Fire Department, via email, for comment.
Newsweek has highlighted some of the biggest conspiracy theories doing the rounds and broken down what we know.
People ‘Commissioned’ To Start Fires
Actor Mel Gibson asked whether supposed fire starters were “commissioned” to ignite blazes, which he said began under “convenient” circumstances.”
“I can make all kinds of horrible theories up in my head, conspiracy theories and everything else” he told Fox News‘ Laura Ingraham, “but, you know, it just seemed a little convenient that there was no water and that the wind conditions were right and that there were people ready and willing and able to start fires and are they commissioned to do so or are they just acting out of their own volition? I don’t know.”
He went on to say the situation reminded him of “old cattle barons clearing people off the land.”
The origin the fires are being investigated but a total of 10 people have been charged, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a press conference on Monday.
One of these people, Jose Gerardo Escobar, was charged with arson and attempted arson but this was not related to the wildfires. Other charges include burglary and looting.
In regards to Gibson’s comment that it was “convenient” there was no water, he may be referring to the fact that some fire hydrants in Pacific Palisades ran dry.
California often battles water issues at its reservoirs, as drought and high demand deplete levels. The state water problem faces more challenges as officials try to maintain smooth dam operation by keeping water at a certain level.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson from the DPW referred Newsweek to a webpage about water supply. In this instance, extreme water demand meant that the tanks at high elevations in the Palisades area outpaced supply.
Newsweek has gone into more detail about this here.
Fires Started for ‘High-Density Housing’
Ingraham did not explicitly say this was the reason behind the fires, but she suggested what California’s government may stand to get out of them during her interview with Gibson.
“There’s already talk—and we played a couple of sound bites—of reimagining the way rebuilding occurs, and obviously there’s a great need for high-density housing in California and across the country, that’s a big push by the climate folks, and you’re already hearing rumblings of that in this case. Like, goodbye single-family homes, hello high-density housing.”
LA Fire Department Supplies Sent to Ukraine
Infamous conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was one of several who blamed the LA Fire Department’s struggle with putting out fires on the fact that equipment was sent to Ukraine.
He posted on X: “LA Fire Department Supplies Were Sent To Ukraine Over The Past Two Years & They Are Forced To Battle Flames With Women’s Handbags As Buckets Under Gavin Newsom‘s Leadership.”
Indeed, the County of Los Angeles Fire Department was one of many across the nation that sent “surplus equipment and gear” to Ukraine in March 2022, but Daryl Osby, who was Fire Chief at the time, told The Dispatch Fact Check that these were “old items that were no longer in service and had previously been replaced by newer items.”
LA Fire Department Chief Erik Scott, a public information officer, told The Wall Street Journal that the “handbags” people have been speaking about online are actually canvas bags fire departments often use to put out smaller fires.
What started the California fires? What we know so far
Investigators are yet to complete their probe and reveal results, but the Palisades fire, the largest of three blazes still burning, may have been started by the reigniting of a New Year’s Eve firework, according to evidence reviewed by The Washington Post.
Powerful winds have been largely to blame for turning wildfires that ignited last week into huge infernos that leveled whole neighborhoods around the city.
Newsweek has broken down everything we know so far about the what started the fires, in detail, here.
Related Articles
