On August 18, 2023, 10 days after the wildfire reached Lahaina, posted on TikTok a video titled, ' Laser vs lahaina?' This video, tagged 'For general information purposes only,' seems to demonstrate that a laser will burn wood blocks and toy metal cars, but not leafy plants or blue toweling that objects were on (screenshot from the video is below). One theory was the fires were ignited by directed energy weapons (DEW) or some sort of space laser. Two of these videos, in particular, provided the foundation for the claim made in the short on YouTube.Īfter the Augfires on Maui, several conspiracy theories began to develop. The video comes from the TikTok account of which posts videos showing how various things react to lasers. The footage then shifts to shots of a blue car and blue umbrella that the fire apparently did not severely damage: (Source: YouTube screenshot taken on Mon Sep 11 18:39:00 2023 UTC) Though the video is marked 'For entertainment only,' Lead Stories has provided a fact check in response to the proliferation of the video's claim. There was something blue they didn't want to burn The video's male narrator goes on to state: (Source: YouTube screenshot taken on Mon Sep 11 16:29:00 2023 UTC) This is how the video appeared on YouTube at the time of the writing of this fact check.

Maui fire,' the video features a graphic that cautions, 'For entertainment only.' The focus of this fact check is a video (archived here), bearing the TikTok logo, that was reposted on the YouTube account on August 19, 2023. Images from TV, social media and Google Earth show that the fire made no systematic distinction between blue and non-blue objects.

Do an unburned blue car and beach umbrella seen in a social-media video about the August 2023 wildfire that ravaged the town of Lahaina on Hawaii's island of Maui prove that lasers caused the blaze since the color blue can resist lasers? No, that's not true: The video that touted this widespread claim was marked 'For entertainment only.' Two additional videos supporting the claim are without scientific validity, according to a laser specialist from Oregon's Willamette University.

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