Were the Maui wildfires deliberately planned by a group of global elites who want to establish and consolidate power over the world? No, that's not true: Maui officials have told the media that claims that the fire was intentionally set are unfounded and that the investigation of how the disaster started is still ongoing.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published on TikTok on August 21, 2023 with a caption in Czech, translated by Lead Stories's staff. It reads:
False wood fire in Maui were organized by global elites to poison our air and water and soil and redistributed the property into the hands of elite, according to an insider from the World Economic Forum, who warns that rebuilding something better literally means destroying something first.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Aug 24 07:44:57 2023 UTC)
There is no evidence of any plans or conspiracy that would have triggered the Maui wildfires. Experts cite weather conditions and possibly fallen power lines from strong winds that led to the disaster. At the time of writing this article, the original cause of the August 2023 Maui wildfires was not yet known according to authorities. Weather and climate experts say that atmospheric phenomena, such as nearby Hurricane Dora and dry conditions, set the stage for the catastrophe that killed more than 100 people and forced thousands to evacuate.
The Washington Post reported on August 15 that at least "some" of the fires that broke out on the island on August 8, 2023, were caused by power lines being knocked down by heavy winds that swept across the island. Social media posts showing such incidents can be seen here or here.
Various media outlets have reported that Hawaiian Electric, a grid operator company, is facing lawsuits because of alleged negligence in the maintenance of its equipment. Reports can be found here and here.
The Associated Press quoted the e-mail statement of the Hawaii governor's Josh Green office declaring that it is "horrendous assertions" that the fires were deliberately set to raze historical parts of Lahaina on Aug.16. Hawaii Department of Defense spokesman Jeffrey Hickman also told US Today that the claims that fires were deliberately set were "baseless social media narratives", and that the cause of the catastrophe was still under investigation.
The Maui wildfires sparked a number of claims on social media, alleging that they were intentionally set and planned. Examples can be found here or here.
