Lush green palm trees that are still standing despite the bushfires raging around them have sparked wild conspiracy theories online.
The trees can be seen standing upright amid the burning wreckage of homes and cars torched in devastating fires that have claimed 16 lives and displaced 200,000 people.
One user pointed to the destruction of homes and cars and claimed that an apparent “heat attack” had hit Californians’ livelihoods.
Another, citing similar theories about wildfires in Hawaii in 2023, wrote: “Maui has this written all over it.”
These ‘attacks’, according to conspiracy theorists, are intended to facilitate the eradication of national identities and create a one-world government.
But in reality, trees can often survive forest fires thanks to adaptations such as thick bark and high moisture levels that protect them from the heat.
Palm trees in particular are often safe from fire, because fires often start at ground level – far from a tree’s canopy. Additionally, photographers in LA captured images of several palm trees burning down during the wildfires.
Other conspiracy theories claim that California Governor Gavin Newsom and US President Joe Biden started the fires to stop the development of Chinese-funded high-speed rail lines.
Several photos show palm trees still standing amid the burning wreckage of homes and cars torched by this week’s fires
A building burns during the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA, on Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Two people ride bicycles amid the destruction left by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, January 9, 2025
The aim of this conspiracy would be to make the land ‘unusable’ for rail developers, which would then be used to develop so-called ’15-minute cities’.
Although a 15-minute city is in reality an urban planning concept that aims to emphasize the need for daily needs to be within walking or cycling distance at any point in the city, the concept has been distorted by the far right, who claim that it is a plot is to trap people in ghetto areas.
Unfortunately, it cannot be ruled out that the fires were deliberately set. A man in his 30s was arrested for allegedly starting the fire in Kenneth.
The death toll from the wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area rose to 16 as crews battled to cut off the spreading flames before possible return of strong winds that could carry the flames to some of the city’s most famous landmarks Push.
Five of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire and 11 resulted from the Eaton Fire, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said.
The previous number of confirmed deaths before Saturday was 11, but officials said they expected that number to rise as teams with dogs systematically conduct grid searches of leveled neighborhoods.
Authorities have set up a center for people to report the missing.
A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Palisades fire grows near the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood and Encino, California, on January 11, 2025
A palm tree burns during the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 7, 2025
A palm tree burns on Sunset Beach during a wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of west Los Angeles
A palm tree burns as powerful winds fuel devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area, forcing people to evacuate
Firefighters attempt to extinguish flames in the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on January 11, 2025
People hug each other in a neighborhood where many homes were destroyed by the Eaton Fire on January 11, 2025 in Altadena, California
There were fears that winds could move the fires to the J Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles, while new evacuation warnings put more homeowners on edge.
Saturday evening, Cal Fire reported that the fires in the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst had destroyed about 60 square miles, an area larger than San Francisco. The Palisades and Eaton fires covered 59 square miles.
In a briefing posted online Saturday evening, Michael Traum of the California Office of Emergency Services said 150,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders, while more than 700 people took refuge in nine shelters.
Crews from California and nine other states are part of the ongoing response, which includes 1,354 fire trucks, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel, including newly arrived firefighters from Mexico, he said.
With Cal Fire reporting that the Palisades Fire has reached 11% and the Eaton Fire 15% by Saturday evening, the fight will continue.
“Weather conditions are still critical and a new round of strong winds is expected from Monday,” Traum said.