Fact Check: Hollywood Sign Not Burned in Los Angeles Wildfires

On January 7, a severe wildfire broke out in Los Angeles, United States. The incident of a fire in Hollywood became a focal point of discussion on the internet. Amidst this, images and videos claiming that the iconic Hollywood Sign caught fire went viral across various media platforms and the internet.

For media reports regarding this claim, see Channel i and Desh Rupantor.

View posts shared on Facebook, including from media pages, here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), and here (Archive).

See posts shared on X (formerly Twitter) about the claim here (Archive) and here (Archive).

View posts shared on Instagram here (Archive).

Watch videos shared on YouTube about the claim here (Archive).

Fact-Check

Rumor Scanner’s investigation reveals that the claim that the iconic Hollywood Sign was burned in the U.S. wildfire is false. In reality, the claim was propagated using AI (Artificial Intelligence)-generated images and videos on the internet.

At the beginning of the investigation, a reverse image search led to a post by BBC Verify’s senior journalist, Shayan Sardarizadeh, on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on January 9, discussing the viral images.

Screenshot: X. 

The information mentioned there confirms that the images showing the Hollywood Sign on fire were created using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Additionally, a fact-check report titled “Fact Check: Hollywood sign not affected by Los Angeles wildfires” was published on January 10 on the Reuters website.

The report states that the Hollywood Sign did not burn during the recent wildfires in Los Angeles.

Jeff Zarrinnam, chairman of the Hollywood Sign Trust, informed Reuters via email on January 9 that the landmark was not damaged and remained safe.

He further stated that Griffith Park, where the Hollywood Sign is located, had been temporarily closed for safety.

Photographs taken by Reuters photographer Caroline Stehlik on Thursday also show the Hollywood Sign intact, with no fires nearby (View the image).

Conclusion

Therefore, claims of the Hollywood Sign burning in the wildfires in Los Angeles are entirely false. 

Sources

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