South Carolina wildfires falsely linked to 'smart city' plans

"Did you see what is going on in Myrtle Beach? So many 'natural disasters'… Are these all setting the stage for the 'Smart City' reset?" asks a March 4 X post from the account Gubba Homestead, who AFP has previously fact checked.

Similar posts circulated across Facebook, and Instagram -- with one going as far as claiming: "The 'wildfires' are being set off INTENTIONALLY by DEWs (Directed Energy Weapons) so they can easily burn down the area."

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A screenshot of an X post taken on March 6, 2025

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Screenshot of a post on X taken March 12, 2025

"Smart city" projects -- an urban planning concept that uses a wide range of technology to improve public services while cutting greenhouse gas emissions -- have often triggered conspiratorial claims alongside coverage of wildfires.

AFP debunked similar claims during the deadly fires in Los Angeles, as well as after the massive fires that struck Hawaii and Canada in 2023.

Additionally, AFP has fact-checked numerous claims falsely linking wildfires to experimental energy weapons, a target of long-circulating conspiracy theories. 

Iain Boyd, director of the University of Colorado's Center for National Security Initiatives (archived here) and an expert on directed energy weapons, previously referred AFP to his research paper on the technology.

"The power level needed to ignite vegetation with a high-energy laser from the sky would require a large power source installed on a large aircraft," he wrote in the paper.

And there is no evidence such a weapon was used in South Carolina.

In early March, Horry County -- which includes the resort area of Myrtle Beach -- experienced several fires including the Carolina Forest wildfire (archived here), but "there are no wildfires inside the city," Meredith Denari, the city's communications director, told AFP on March 4. 

More than 2,000 acres (809 hectares) burned in an area about 10 miles (16 kms) from the city, with the city's fire department providing aid (archived here). The fire has been contained to almost half its original size, according to county authorities (archived here).

Horry County has a history of bad fire seasons. In 1976, the county experienced the largest forest fire ever recorded (archived here) in South Carolina, with about 30,000 acres (12,141 hectares) burned.

Officials declined to discuss the social media claims. "We don't respond to social media claims and conspiracies, especially those that have nothing to do with our role in fighting this or any other wildfire(s)," Doug Wood, director of communications of South Carolina Forestry Commissionn (SCFC), said on March 4, 2025.

On March 6, SCFC law enforcement officials arrested Alexandra Bialousow on two charges related to the escape of a residential yard debris burn. "Bialousow is accused of not taking the proper precautions to prevent her debris burn from escaping and negligently allowing fire to spread to 'lands of another,'" a press release said (archived here). 

'Smart city' projects

Myrtle Beach does in fact have plans for technological improvements (archived here and here). 

They stem from various "smart city" initiatives launched since at least 2023, some of which are presented in city press releases (archived here and here).

But the plan focuses on technology-forward efforts such as cloud-based digital government services including emergency alerts and payment processing (archived here).

"Yes, the city is working towards building a Living Lab to give tech companies a place to prototype and test emerging technologies within Myrtle Beach. We aim for that lab to be built within our Arts & Innovation District," Denari said.

"It is just a building, it is nothing that would blanket or change the landscape of a city," Denari said.

Other technology projects related to the city include undersea cables operated by Alphabet and Meta (archived here, here and here). 

More of AFP's reporting on misinformation surrounding wildfires can be found here.