California Wildfires Weren’t Caused by Lasers

Suzy Woltmann

Science

2nd September 2020

California Wildfires Weren’t Caused by Lasers

The fires were caused by lightning during a drought (Getty Images).

The Claim

The recent wildfires devastating California were caused by “powerful lasers.”

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In late August 2020, social media users began sharing the claim. One viral meme reads: “All of these images were captured during the wildfires in California. Is this evidence that powerful lasers were used to cause these fires?”

Misbar’s Analysis

Misbar’s investigation found that the claim is false. The California wildfires were actually sparked by dry lightning in the midst of a heatwave. As of September 1, 2020, they have burned through over 1 million acres.

The State of California said: “Since the lightning siege that started on Saturday, August 15, 2020, there have been nearly 14,000 lightning strikes. During this time-period, there have been more than 900 new wildfires, which have now burned over 1.48 million acres.”

Further, the pictures in the viral meme are not of the recent California fires. Three show fires that took place in 2018. Another depicts the 2018 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch.

There is no evidence indicating that the fires were started by lasers.