The island of Maui is going through a series of bad days that scientists and US officials attribute to wildfires.
However, pictures of the disaster show heavily damaged cars and buildings, while nearby trees and power poles are still standing intact.
Since then, a “conspiracy theory” has emerged on American social networks that the disaster was caused not by wildfires but by a “supernatural force”.
Debris from a wildfire disaster in the resort town of Lahaina in the United States state of Hawaii. Photo: AP
“The mysterious powers are back. It’s not a wildfire,” said a voiceover in a Facebook video accompanying a picture of Maui’s wreckage.
“The fire destroyed buildings, cars and even destroyed a boat in the middle of the ocean..but trees and nearby electric poles were still standing. It’s definitely a wildfire.” Reason not done. Should be” – video continues to confirm
According to the AP, several comments later under the post also agreed with this “conspiracy theory”.
The wildfire also destroyed a boat at sea in Lahaina. Photo: AP
AP news agency reached to investigate this matter. Experts consulted by the AP say it is not unusual for trees and power poles to escape a disaster on the Hawaiian Islands.
According to him, wildfires often spew flaming embers that spread to homes, cars, etc., while trees often do not burn completely and collapse due to the amount of water stored in them.
As an example, Michael Gollner, associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, US, cited a 2008 federal report on the Lake Arrowhead wildfire disaster in California, in which photographs showed homes completely destroyed, while surrounding trees were destroyed. still standing.
Hawaii Island – A wildfire disaster in the United States caused several cars to burn, but nearby trees were still standing. Photo: AP
Similarly, Christopher Dunn, assistant professor of wildfire risk science at Oregon State University (USA), claims that the trees and power poles in the Maui image are still standing in the middle of a “completely destroyed” scene. Nothing strange.
Mr. Dunn provided photos of the 2020 Oregon fires, in which homes were destroyed, and trees remained upright, although some were charred.
Christopher Dunn said, “The bark and the water inside have kept them from falling after a wildfire disaster. This explains the fact that people can still cut down trees for wood after a wildfire. “
Arnaud Trouvey, professor of fire protection engineering at the University of Maryland, agrees with these two observations.
Furthermore, this professor also attributed the burning of offshore boats in the Maui wildfire disaster to “wind blowing embers”.
“Conspiracy theories” surfaced on social networks after pictures emerged of wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, in which cars were burned, but trees and power poles were still standing. Photo: AP
The first wildfires in Hawaii began to appear on the night of August 8 (US time). The National Weather Service (NWS) previously issued warnings for Hawaii because the hot, dry region and strong winds are ideal conditions for wildfires.
AP It was described as the deadliest wildfire in the US in more than a century, killing at least 96 people, and the cause remains unknown.
