Why do wildfires often ignite a firestorm of conspiracy theories?
Experts say false information and misleading images shared after Maui fires can exploit people's emotions
Nick Logan - CBC News
Posted: August 16, 2023
It's yet to be determined what exactly ignited the ferocious wildfires that ravaged Maui and destroyed much of the historic town of Lahaina last week, but online conspiracy theorists have plenty of thoughts about how — and why — the deadliest fires in Hawaii's history were started.
Conditions were already ripe for wildfires, with a combination of persistent dry weather and drought, when Maui was hit with powerful winds on Aug. 8, sending flames racing across swaths of the island.
But the tragedy has spurred social media posts that would have you believe that it was a laser beam from space that sparked the devastating blaze or that the disaster may be a part of a land grab or a sinister ploy to develop a 15-minute city on the tropical island — familiar conspiracy theories that have thrived in times of disaster.
There is no proof any of these are true — often they can easily be debunked — but theories like these can thrive in times of uncertainty after a disaster strikes, say experts, as people try to make sense of a tense and emotional situation and anxiously look for a cause to pinpoint.
"Everybody is susceptible to mis- and disinformation, but in different ways and for different reasons," said Samantha Bradshaw, an assistant professor at the school of international service at American University in Washington, D.C.
But wildfires in particular, she said, present a unique opportunity for rumours and false narratives to spread.
"They are just so visible and so devastating and so violent in their effects, it's really hard for people to not pay attention to news about them."
