California Wildfire

Is the Los Angeles Firefighters Union suing California Gov. Gavin Newsom for "dereliction of duty" by refusing requests for water to be turned on during fires in 2025? No, that's not true: The post spreading that claim originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer and a warning that all the contents of the page are fabricated. The owner…

Did "The Simpsons" predict that April 29, 2025 will become "the day everything stops"? No, that's not true: The internet rumor originated from an account that posts "fictional stories". The video never used a direct video citation from the series. Lead Stories analysis of the visual sequence suggested it was created with generative AI. The claim appeared in a post…

Is a social media post that speculates that right-wing rhetoric about the California wildfires caused the murder of California Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi accurate? No, that's not true: The police have named Rebecca Marodi's wife as the only suspect in her February 2025 murder. They announced that the suspect was a person known to Rebecca Marodi and believed it was…

Did the husbands of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein conspire to make money by using federal grants to buy land for high-speed rail? No, that's not true: There is no evidence either Paul Pelosi or the late Richard Blum were involved in land purchases connected to the California High-Speed Rail project. A social media…

Did U.S. troops enter California under "emergency powers" from President Donald Trump to turn on water from the Pacific Northwest, in January 2025? No, that's not true according to state authorities: The U.S. military did not enter the state to turn on the water, according to a statement posted by the California Department of Water Resources. The statement said the…

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 detectors judged that this video and its audio -- with a lone siren blaring and the crackling sound of fires burning in the…

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 map that depicted areas in a "red flag warning zone" of increased fire risk, not actual fires. The claim reappeared in…

Are there 45 electric firetrucks in Los Angeles that had to go back to the fire department for 10 hours a day to recharge while the January 2025 wildfires burned? No, that's not true: According to a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson the LAFD "has only one electric fire engine and no electric fire trucks" and that one is equipped…

Does an authentic video show Taylor Swift saying that the 2025 Los Angeles fires are divine retribution for American actions in Gaza? No, that's not true: The original footage dates back to a 2021 appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." Analysis tools determined with 100 percent confidence that the voice added to the clip on social media is…

Is there evidence that California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered firefighters not to use Starlink modems while battling wildfires in the Los Angeles area in January 2025? No, that's not true: Newsom denied allegations he had ordered the modems to be confiscated in a post on X. Any firefighter who needs a Starlink device can get one through the Los Angeles…