This Video Does Not Depict a New Type of Fire Used to Ignite Fires in Hawaii
The Claim
A new kind of fire was caught on camera in Hawaii.
News posted on
Emerging story
After the recent fires in Hawaii, a video clip started circulating on social media purporting to feature a new kind of fire. According to the claim, this fire has the ability to move along the pavement and only burn specific targets.
On Twitter, one user, mirroring the sentiments of others, implicated the government in orchestrating the fires in the region. The user wrote, "Looks like DARPA created a new type of fire that can roll across pavement and only burn specific targets. Stew Peter Hawaii."
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the viral video and found the claim to be misleading.
After conducting a thorough reverse image search, Misbar's team concluded that the circulating video is outdated and not connected to Hawaii's recent fires.
The Video of Fires Was Shot in Cleveland, Ohio
Contrary to the claims that went viral, the video does not depict the recent fires that occurred in Hawaii. Instead, the video showcases a fire incident in the Flats area of Cleveland, Ohio, which was ignited by a cigarette on June 18, 2022.
A YouTube channel uploaded a short version of the viral video, including various scenes from the incident, under the title "The Flats On Fire In Cleveland, Ohio (June 18th, 2022)."
Moreover, media outlets shared the video as part of their coverage of the incident back then. Fox 8, for example, released an article titled "'Disaster movie vibe': Witnesses recall fire in the Flats sparked by cigarette," where they recounted the events surrounding the fire in the Flats ignited by a cigarette.
According to Cleveland fire investigators, the incident involved a relatively small fire that originated in a mulch bed. The situation escalated due to strong winds, which caused the flames and embers to spread to other nearby mulch beds. The series of events commenced shortly after 2 a.m. as patrons and staff were leaving bars and restaurants along the East Bank area. They reported over 20 mulch beds being ablaze.
Initially, there were suspicions that the fires might have been deliberately set, but Cleveland fire investigators have determined that they were accidentally triggered by a discarded cigarette. Firefighters efficiently extinguished the multiple fires, and fortunately, no injuries were reported.
106 People Killed in Maui Wildfires
Maui County officials announced on Tuesday that the death toll in the Maui wildfires has surged to 106, marking a week since the flames initially swept through parts of the Hawaiian island.
This increase in the death toll, up from 99 just a day earlier, coincided with authorities confirming the identification of only five of the deceased. Among them, two names have been disclosed by county officials, while the remaining three will be made public once their relatives have been informed.
The Maui wildfires have been declared the deadliest in the United States in over a century, as reported by the National Fire Protection Association.
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