The Image of a Laser-Beam Igniting Hawaii Fires is Altered

Misbar investigated the widely circulated photo and found it to be fake.

While the original photo features the recent destructive fires in Hawaii, the presence of the light-like beam in the image was digitally incorporated. 

This Photo of the Hawaii Fires Is Digitally Altered

The photo has undergone digital manipulation. The original image was cropped, horizontally mirrored, and additional alterations were introduced.

Photographer Matthew Thayer shot the photo on August 8, 2023, for the Associated Press. 

As the photo caption indicates, it depicts the hall of the historic Waiola Church in Lahaina, along with the nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, being engulfed by flames along Wainee Street in Lahaina, Hawaii.

Social media users have also shared the original, unaltered version of the photo prior to any manipulation.

Devastating Wildfires in Maui, Hawaii

The wildfires in Maui, a part of the U.S. state of Hawaii, have tragically led to the loss of 96 lives. Authorities have cautioned that the process of locating and identifying the deceased is still in its early stages. This blaze has already become the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in over a century.

The substantial devastation in the resort town of Lahaina has resulted in the reconstruction effort being estimated to span several years and cost billions of dollars.

In Lahaina, over 2,700 structures have been destroyed, with an estimated value of around $5.6 billion lost. However, the primary concern remains the people who are enduring these hardships, and the government is actively working to assist them, as stated in a video message on Sunday.

Since the destruction in Lahaina became evident on Wednesday, approximately 46,000 residents and visitors have departed from Kahului Airport in West Maui, as reported by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

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