Hawaii wildfire conspiracy theory targets Obama, Gates, Bezos
- Published on August 21, 2023 at 22:41
- 4 min read
- By AFP USA
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"Guess who's (sic) Oceanfront Home in Hawaii was untouched by the 'fires'?" says Liz Churchill, a self-described Canadian "conspiracy theorist," in an August 15, 2023 post on Twitter, which is being rebranded as "X."
AFP has previously fact-checked Churchill for spreading misinformation. Her post includes a photo of a waterfront mansion superimposed with Gates's face.
Similar posts have circulated about the Obamas and Amazon Executive Chairman Bezos, claiming "not a single blade of grass was burned" at their respective estates.
The allegations come amid a deluge of conspiracy theories about the deadly blazes that decimated the town of Lahaina on Maui in early August 2023. Authorities are still probing the cause of the disaster, but The Washington Post and other US media have reported that fallen power lines may have triggered the first blazes.
AFP has previously debunked claims that the fires were set intentionally using direct energy weapons as a pretext for a land grab. The suspicions about celebrity homes are similarly inaccurate.
Gates
A reverse image search on Google indicates the photo shared in posts about Gates shows a property located in the US state of Washington -- not Hawaii.
Photographer Ted Soqui originally took the picture in January 2000 in the city of Medina near Seattle, according to a caption on the Getty Images website (archived here).
Bill and Melinda Gates were married in Lanai, Maui in 1994, but AFP found no evidence they own property on the island.
"Bill Gates does not own a residence on Maui to the best of my knowledge," said Anthony Sayles, a local realtor, on August 18.
AFP reached out to the Gates Foundation for comment, but a response was not forthcoming.
Obama
Claims about Obama's property narrowly escaping fire damage are also false.
News reports show the Obamas own an estate in Waimanalo on the island of Oahu -- about 100 miles away from Lahaina.
Sayles confirmed the Obamas own property on Oahu, adding that "there were not any wildfires" there in early August.
Born in Honolulu, Obama took to social media to show his support for Hawaiians, pledging to donate to the state's Red Cross to help those affected by the wildfires (archived here).
AFP reached out to the Obama Foundation for additional comment, but a response was not forthcoming.
Bezos
Bezos purchased a $78 million estate in Maui in 2021, but it is far from the fire-affected area of the island.
"Jeff Bezos owns a property on La Perouse Bay past Makena. This is located on the complete opposite side of the Lahaina where the massive wildfires occurred and burnt down over 2,000 structures," Sayles said.
"This misinformation being circulated online is extremely hurtful to our community while we mourn and grieve."
The property is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the fire zone, according to Google Maps.
Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies and others shows the fires did not impact the area where Bezos's estate is located.
Lauren Sanchez, Bezos's fiancee, pledged on Instagram $100 million to "help Maui get back on its feet now and over the coming years" (archived here).
AFP reached out to the Bezos Earth Fund for additional comment, but a response was not forthcoming.
AFP has debunked other claims about the Hawaii wildfires here.
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