Claim: A series of images shows the wildfire in Los Angeles.
Fact: The post is false as the footage is AI-generated and does not show real visuals from the incident.
On 12 January 2025, a user on Threads posted a series of images with the caption:
“Why isn’t this contained yet? It’s now coming up and over the mountain—Brentwood, Glendale, Beverly Hills, the valley. The Hollywood sign. All look to be on the path.
LifeWave is contributing to help the displaced and relief funds.
Jason Oppenheimer from The Oppenheimer Group has said their company will not take commissions for finding homes but the biggest problem is there aren’t enough properties on the market.”
The images show different areas of Los Angeles, especially Hollywood, on fire. The post came after tens of thousands were forced to evacuate their homes as wildfires rapidly erupted near Los Angeles fuelled by dry weather conditions and powerful winds on 7 January. According to the latest media reports, 28 people have lost their lives and more than 13,600 structures have been destroyed. It has also had a major impact on business, notably on Hollywood.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check observed that while nearly all images look a bit natural, most of the signs look glossed over or painted with the orange and grey colour palette, indicating that they were created using either digital tools or artificial intelligence (AI).
We examined all the images below:
Image 1 and 2
The first two photographs show the fires that surrounded the iconic Hollywood monument, which is located atop Mount Lee in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park.
To investigate, we conducted a keyword search on Google with “Hollywood sign, fire, LA” and the results led to a fact check published by The Dispatch on 9 January 2025. The article quoted the spokesperson for Hollywood Sign Trust who confirmed that the Hollywood Sign is not in line of danger and is secure as Griffith Park was closed for security purposes.
It is also to be noted that the area surrounding the Hollywood sign is green and covered with trees after the fires as per the latest images by Reuters. However, in the viral images, the area looks like muddy mountains.
Image 3
The third image shows a Ferris wheel burning and fire around what looks like a park or playground. The picture looks painted and airbrushed. The cabins of the wheel have a faint glow while the fire itself is far behind.
Image 4
The third image shows a group of people sitting in what looks like a camp for evacuated families. In this image, a lot of structural inconsistencies can be seen. The hands and faces of the people are unclear and blurred. Some people are shown to have more than five fingers, and larger than normal shoulders.
These inconsistencies point towards the use of AI to create these images.
Image 5 and 6
The next two images show helicopters putting out the fires from homes. The houses show similar infrastructure and designs. The image looks painted and airbrushed with the orange and grey hues adding an unnatural touch of the fire.
Image 7
The last image shows a road jam-packed with cars and high traffic with firefighter trucks. It also shows four people standing in front of a car. The image does not show the license plates of the cars as there are none available, besides this, the legs of the men in the picture are abnormally shaped.
AI-Generated content
To investigate the origin of the images, Soch Fact Check conducted a reverse image search and the results led to another post in which an Instagram user @thepakiaiguy can be seen as text on the video. The video shows the same images as that of the viral post.
Furthermore, we saw the same pictures in the form of a video uploaded by @thepakiaiguy on 11 January 2025. The account’s bio reads that the user is an AI creator and visual artist. Similar posts depicting the wildfires are available on the creator’s Instagram account. However, it is to be noted that none of them are labelled as “made with AI”.
We also used AI detection tools, such as Hive Moderation and Sightengine, to confirm whether the images were AI-generated.
The results from Sightengine stated that the images are created with AI and show signs of stable diffusion. “Stable Diffusion” is an AI model that generates images from text descriptions and therefore, it appears that the images in question were created using the stable diffusion technique. It’s based on deep learning and diffusion techniques. First launched in 2022, it is also used to create videos and animations.
Virality
The AI images and video of the Los Angeles wildfire were shared here, here and here on Instagram. They were also shared in a reel here on Facebook.
Conclusion: A series of images claiming to show the recent wildfires in Los Angeles are not authentic. They were created using AI.
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Background image in cover photo: The NY Times
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com