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Conspiracy theories spread online during California wildfires

'Patently false' conspiracy theories about the California wildfires have been spreading online, a misinformation expert has said.
Sarah McKenna Barry
Sarah McKenna Barry

21.15 17 Jan 2025


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Conspiracy theories spread onl...

Conspiracy theories spread online during California wildfires

Sarah McKenna Barry
Sarah McKenna Barry

21.15 17 Jan 2025


Share this article


'Patently false' conspiracy theories about the California wildfires have been spreading online, a misinformation expert has said.

The wildfires in Los Angeles have killed at least 27 people and destroyed over 12,300 structures, forcing thousands of people to evacuate.

Across social media platforms, misinformation about the source of the fire and the emergency response has been spreading rapidly.

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On The Pat Kenny Show, author and disinformation expert David Robert Grimes said the wildfires have been caused by extreme weather conditions.

"We know that it has been unusually dry, there has been unseasonable winds, it’s been very parched and the water levels have been very low due to the fact that it has been world record temperatures in 2024," he said.

Despite this, online conspiracy theorists have been spreading false claims about the fires' origin.

"There's a narrative out there that these fires were started by arsonists, which the fire chiefs of California have said is very unlikely," he said.

"The other thing they're claiming - people like Alex Jones who is a well-known conspiracy theorist is that this is basically a Government initiative to assert control."

Emergency response

There has also been misinformation about the emergency response to the fire from far-right accounts.

"One narrative say this is a diversity-related effect," Mr Grimes said.

"Very right-wing accounts claim that because the fire department is diverse and the Mayor of California is a woman - they’re claiming that this is why this fire has happened."

"They’re also claiming the Federal Emergency Management Agency budget has given all their money to Ukraine, or to immigrants."

These claims are "patently untrue", Mr Grimes said.

"Donald Trump - the President-elect - is claiming Gavin Newsom was giving money away to preserve rare fish, which if course is an absolute fiction," he said.

A firefighter sprays water on a garage burning in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nic Coury, File)

Mr Grimes said misinformation and conspiracy theories tend to spread during disasters.

"Political capital can be gained from any tragedy," he said.

"When a tragedy happens, people are glued to their media and that means they’re glued to their social media - so if you want to get a devious narrative out there, a disaster is a good time to start it."

Climate change denial

Mr Grimes said climate change denial occurs because some people find it hard to "accept the reality of climate change".

"We’ve known for decades know that the people who are most likely to reject climate change are people that have hardcore libertarian or free-market views," he said.

"If you believe the free market is going to solve all your problems - and that includes the fossil fuel industry then suddenly you find out burning coal is causing harm - you can do one of two things.

"You can update your philosophy or you can deny it's a problem."

Mr Grimes said this response is known as "motivated reasoning" and is a common factor in climate-change denial.

You can listen back below:


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