We saw all kinds of misleading content circulating on social media during the recent crisis in California, including several suspected AI images.
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PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Claims California Gov. Gavin Newsom thwarted Elon Musk’s help amid fires are unfounded
“Gavin Newsom directed the removal of Elon Musk from the command post and ordered Cal Fire firefighters to return donated starlinks.”
Full Fact→ No evidence German Chancellor Olaf Scholz owns a multimillion dollar house destroyed by LA wildfires
The house shown in footage is actually an LAPD police academy that has not been damaged in the wildfires.
Full Fact→ Video supposedly showing Taylor Swift calling LA fires ‘divine retribution’ has been altered
A clip which is circulating on social media does not show a real interview, and has likely been altered with AI.
Full Fact→ Image of blue-roofed house which survived LA fires is almost certainly AI
The picture has been shared widely on social media in recent days, as part of a wider conspiracy that blue items weren’t affected by the fires in Los Angeles.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Supposedly Of LA Wildfires In January 2025 Is NOT Authentic — Likely AI Creation
Does a video that shows an entire city engulfed in flames as a dozen helicopters hover overhead authentically capture a scene from the Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025? No, that's not true: Multiple online artificial intelligence det
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Map Does NOT Show January 2025 California Wildfires Lined Up With Proposed High-Speed Rail System
Does a viral clip offer proof that the January 2025 California wildfires followed the same path as the planned California high-speed rail system?No, that's not true: The clip repeated a recycled falsehood from 2018. It showed an old 2018
Full Fact→ Image claiming to show a ‘miracle house’ that survived LA fires is likely AI-creation
Although it looks like a real aerial photo, Full Fact has confirmed the image contains a digital watermark that shows it was made or modified with AI.
Full Fact→ Why do wildfires sometimes leave cars burnt but trees and utility poles intact?
An image of such a scene has left people doubting it was caused by the LA wildfires. But fire experts told us the damage in the picture is consistent with the damage such fires can cause.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ABC’s ‘The View’ Set Did NOT Burn Down In January 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires — Claim Originated On Self-Described Satire Site
Did the set for ABC's talk show "The View" burn down amid the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the show told Lead Stories that the program has always been based in New York City. The website wher
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Ay, Caramba! No, ‘The Simpsons’ didn’t predict the Los Angeles wildfires
Video shows “The Simpsons” predicted the Los Angeles wildfires.
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump Jr. – Los Angeles wildfires were worsened by climate change, despite claim to the contrary
California wildfires have “nothing to do with climate change.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Whoopi Goldberg’s Los Angeles Mansion Was Destroyed By January 2025 Wildfires — Claim Originated On Self-Described Satire Site
Did a Facebook post confirm that Whoopi Goldberg's house burned during the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires? No, that's not true: The website the rumor was found on described itself as a page specializing in "Satire and Parody News," ad
FactCheck.org→ What We Know About What Led to the L.A. Wildfires
Multiple fires continue to burn in the Los Angeles area after flames have razed neighborhoods, forced mass evacuations and claimed at least 27 lives over more than a week. Some fires have been contained, but three are still active. That inclu
PolitiFact→ Viral image – No, this video doesn’t show the Los Angeles fires started at the same time (because they didn’t)
“All three California wild fires seem to start at the same time!”
FactCheck.org→ Canada and Mexico Are Helping to Fight California Fires, Contrary to Meme
Este artículo estará disponible en español en El Tiempo Latino. Quick Take Canada and Mexico have sent firefighting crews to help battle the blazes in the Los Angeles area, and Ukraine also has offered assistance. But social media posts misle
PolitiFact→ Viral image – No, this isn’t a video of Mexican firefighters flying to help battle California’s wildfires
Video shows Mexican firefighters going to help with California fires.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘The Simpsons’ Did NOT Predict California Wildfires — Images Are NOT From 2007 Episode
Does a video show real images from a 2007 episode of "The Simpsons" that predicted the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires? No, that's not true: None of the images in the video posted on social media were shown in the episode cited in the video, e
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – This video of LA fires is mostly AI-generated
Video claims to show the Los Angeles fires.
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Conspiracy theory falsely links Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to Los Angeles wildfires
Los Angeles wildfires are part of a Hollywood conspiracy to cover up evidence related to Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The Dispatch→ Why Shrubland Makes Southern California’s Wildfires Inevitable
Los Angeles’ chaparral ecosystem plays a key role in the fires’ intensity.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Two clips in a Facebook video don’t show Los Angeles wildfires; they were taken in other countries
Video clips show “wildfires in Los Angeles, California.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show South African Firefighters Dancing At Airport Before Fighting 2025 LA Wildfires
Does a video depict South African firefighters dancing at a Canadian airport on their way to help battle the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires? No, that's not true: A video showing 200 South African firefighters singing and clapping together was
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – No, the FBI didn’t arrest the owner of a company purportedly responsible for the Los Angeles fires
“The FBI has arrested the owner of the company responsible for the fires in Los Angeles.”
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Clip doesn’t show ‘Israeli tourists celebrating’ Los Angeles fires. It shows a 2024 Switzerland fire
Video shows “Israeli tourists celebrating” the Los Angeles wildfires.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: January 2025 LA Wildfires NOT Part Of ‘Smart City’ Project
Were the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires intentionally set to implement "smart city" technology across Los Angeles? No, that's not true: While the cause of the wildfires had not been determined at the time of writing, the "smart city"
PolitiFact→ Social Media – This image of an Oscar statuette destroyed in Los Angeles fires is AI-generated
An image shows Robert Redford’s Oscar statuette destroyed in the Los Angeles wildfires.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Red-Roofed House Is NOT Real Home Unscathed By Los Angeles Fires — Google AI Image
Did a white home with a red roof survive a wildfire that leveled every other home in a Los Angeles neighborhood? No, that's not true: This aerial view does not show a real neighborhood impacted by the January 2025 fires in Los Angeles Cou
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Posts falsely claim California wildfires were planned to remake Los Angeles ahead of 2028 Olympics
The Los Angeles wildfires were planned in preparation for the 2028 Olympics.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ukrainian Govt Did NOT Say ‘Eight Mansions Owned By Ukrainian Military Officials’ Burned In Los Angeles Wildfires As Of January 13, 2025
Did the Ukrainian government state that "eight mansions owned by Ukrainian military officials" were "burned down in wildfires in Los Angeles" in January 2025? No, that's not true: A video that made this assertion contained the logo of Uni
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – This photo doesn’t show a home that survived the Los Angeles wildfires. It was taken in Hawaii.
A photo shows a Christian’s home that “miraculously survived Los Angeles wildfire.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Home Destroyed By LA Fires In January 2025 — It Was An Ohio Mansion From 2014
Does a photo authentically show rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs' home being destroyed by the January 2025 Los Angeles fires? No, that's not true: This is not Combs' house. Rather, the photo shows an Ohio mansion that burned down in 2014, predat
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Post’s Video Clips Do NOT Show Real Footage Of LA Fires
Do various video clips in a social media post show authentic footage of the Los Angeles County wildfires burning in January 2025? No, that's not true: These clips show evidence of being generated by artificial intelligence. We could not l
Full Fact→ Plane crash video not linked to fires in LA
The footage actually shows a plane that crashed in Chile in January 2024.
The Dispatch→ Fires Continue to Rage in Los Angeles
For Californians, finger-pointing by public officials adds ‘insult to injury’ amid the ongoing disaster.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: LA Mayor Karen Bass Did NOT Slash LAFD Budget Before January 2025 Wildfires — Budget Increased by 7%
Did Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the city council cut the fire department's budget before the January 2025 wildfires? No, that's not true: While the initial 2024-25 budget for the Los Angeles Fire Department reduced spending by about
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Weather Channel Did NOT Show Human Remains On Live Broadcast About January 2025 California Wildfires
Did the Weather Channel show human remains on live TV reporting on California wildfires in January 2025? No, that's not true: The channel denied this, saying it was debris. In response to Lead Stories, its representative shared an image f
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – If wildfires leave blue items unburned, does it prove directed-energy weapons were involved? No
“Blue items that survive” California wildfires are “indicative of DEW's (Directed Energy Weapons)”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Video doesn’t show a man saving a bunny from the 2025 California wildfires. It’s from 2017.
Video shows a man saving a bunny during the 2025 Los Angeles fires.
PolitiFact→ Fact-check: Los Angeles fires fuel falsehoods, including by Trump about water management
President-elect Donald Trump blamed California’s devastating wildfires on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s water policy, and social media users revived Trump’s past criticism of the state’s forest management. We took a closer look at the claims.