DO Wildfires Ignite Conspiracy Theories?

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. |Read more hhttps://www.cbc.ca/news/world/maui-wildfire-conspiracy-theories-1.6937745|

#Lahaina #wildfires #environment #conspiracy #rumours

‘Significant structures’ lost in West Kelowna with evacuation orders growing due to wildfires

“Significant structures” have been lost in West Kelowna due to the McDougall Creek https://globalnews.ca/tag/mcdougall-creek wildfire, officials confirmed Friday morning.

The exact number is not known but Loyal Wooldridge, chair of the Regional District Central Okanagan (RDCO) Board said structures have been lost in the Traders Cove area and Bear Lake Road in the City of West Kelowna.

He added that there has been no confirmed loss of life at this time.

BC Wildfire said the estimated size of the fire Friday morning is 6,800 hectares or 68 square kilometers. Thursday it was mapped at 1,100 hectares. |Read more https://globalnews.ca/news/9904497/west-kelowna-fire-evacuation-order-structures-lost/|

#Kelowna #environment #wildfires #ClimateChange #abpoli #bcpoli