They died in a forest fire in Maui, Hawaii 115 personsThe event was the deadliest in the last 100 years.
A video on TikTok claims that the fires in Maui were not the result of weather, but rather intentional.
„A few days ago, there was a forest fire in Maui that destroyed much of the island, although it was said that the fire was caused by a laser weapon in New Mexico.” Dice August 17 issue.
The narrator added: „The interesting bit comes when it’s revealed that they’ve been wanting to evacuate this island for a long time to build a new city that works with more technology.”
Officials have not determined the cause of the Hawaii fires, but they said extremely dry conditions and high winds accelerated their spread. Hawaiian Electric is facing two lawsuits alleging fires were caused by downed power lines. reported Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Aug. 14.
Although the cause of the fire was not revealed, there is no suggestion from reliable sources that laser weapons were the cause.
What are these laser weapons?
A video on TikTok shows an image of what appears to be a laser falling from the sky in Maui, however the image is fake.
PolitiFact did a reverse image search and found that the image originated from a transformer explosion in Chile, not the laser beam that caused the Maui fire.
CHV Noticias news broadcast in Chile reported A video showing the explosion on May 29. The newscast explained that the „lightning” was an optical illusion due to the angle at which the video was taken and was not actually a laser falling from the sky.
(Screenshot of a video on TikTok showing the explosion in Chile).
However, it should be noted that there are weapons similar to lasers known as direct energy weapons. These are radio frequency devices and Microwave High power – and United States and other governments There are Explores their use for military purposes.
Scott Savitz, a senior engineer at the RAND Corporation, told PolitiFact that the idea that these weapons played a role in the Hawaii fires is baseless: „It is absurd that the U.S. military used direct energy weapons to start these fires, intentionally or accidentally. .”
Other experts also said that it is normal for fires to occur on a regular basis due to natural phenomena (such as lightning) or human activities, such as flames, power line failures, etc.
Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, Assistant Adjutant General for the Hawaii Department of Defense; said On August 16, the National Weather Service had previously warned officials of dry conditions in the area.
What are Tech Cities?
There is no universal definition of what a smart or advanced city is, but the concept generally refers to the use of technology to gather information to help manage cities more efficiently. improve Mobility, Economy, Public Services etc.
A video on TikTok has reportedly long wanted to evacuate Hawaii to build a new tech city. However, PolitiFact has not found any real evidence of this claim.
It is noteworthy that the technical conference was held in January Hawaii International Conference on Computer Science. But it has been held annually in the state since 1968, where academics from more than 60 countries exchange ideas on various IT management topics.
Although one of the conference sessions talked about smart cities as a technical topic, there was no announcement of their implementation in Hawaii.
Tung Bui, chair of the annual conference’s department of information technology management at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, told Politifact that there was nothing unusual about the discussion and rejected the idea that it somehow seeded a master plan. To destroy Maui.
„We didn’t have any specific discussions about making Maui a smart city,” Bui said of the conference in January.
was Introduction to four statements and smart cities Published in connection with the event, but nothing that makes Maui a smart city.
Our verdict
A video on TikTok claims Maui wildfires were set by a „laser” weapon to create a new tech city.
Officials have not determined the cause of the fires, but extremely dry conditions and high winds accelerated their spread. Officials did not say a crime was suspected.
Direct energy weapons such as lasers are being explored by the US and other governments for military purposes, but experts say there is no evidence they caused the fires in Hawaii.
Technological cities already exist and do not necessarily enable the destruction of a city. There is also no evidence that there is a plan to turn Maui into a smart city.
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