Wildfires in the Carolinas Spark Conspiracy Theories

At least 175 wildfires have been raging in the Carolinas since the past weekend, with one fire near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, scorching approximately 1,600 acres and prompting residents to evacuate, according to CNN. Although massive wildfires are uncommon in North and South Carolina, the dry and windy conditions, with gusts exceeding 130 mph, make these fires particularly challenging to combat. However, this explanation is not enough to satisfy conspiracy theorists.

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has been inundated with conspiracy theories in recent days, alleging that the fires were started by influential tech figures like Mark Zuckerberg as part of a sinister plot to transform Myrtle Beach into a so-called smart city. While this claim is absurd, it is becoming increasingly common as climate change creates ideal conditions for intense fires in unexpected locations.

Right-wing influencer John Sabal, tweeting as The Patriot Voice, insisted that the situation in Myrtle Beach was so unusual that it must be suspicious, even claiming that local news contained hints about what was to come.

“WHEN is the last time you have EVER heard of Myrtle Beach having damn ‘wildfires’?!?!?!” Sabal tweeted. “They think we are STUPID. If you pay close enough attention, they ALWAYS tell you in advance what they are planning, like on this news broadcast.”

Sabal further claimed that the fires were started using directed energy weapons, essentially suggesting that these wildfires were probably sparked by some kind of space laser.

“The ‘wildfires’ are being set off INTENTIONALLY by DEWs (Directed Energy Weapons) so they can easily burn down the area, where Blackrock can then come in and buy it all up cheap and rebuild it into a 15-minute ‘smart city’ PRISON,” Sabal continued.

Sabal alleged that this is “EXACTLY what happened” in other recent fires in Hawaii, Texas, and California, all places where conspiracy theorists have previously claimed space lasers were used to create destruction. Then, Sabal pointed out that this was happening “even” as Donald Trump was president and suggested that Zuckerberg might be behind it.

“It looks like this time, Mark Zuckerberg has his hands ALL over this one, VERY CONCERNING considering he was just at the Inauguration and now is looking at moving D.C. to be close to Trump,” Sabal claimed.

Zuckerberg has indeed been building a relationship with Trump since the assassination attempt against the president last summer. The Meta CEO even donated money and attended Trump’s inauguration. However, everything else Sabal is saying is untrue. Sabal shared a video from TikTok about Meta’s plans to integrate new technology into Myrtle Beach.

A local news clip from June 2023 discussed how technology was being used to add 3D simulations for tourism promotion and how gunfire detection technology might make the city safer. While people can reasonably debate whether these are good uses of taxpayer resources, it’s not exactly evidence of a grand conspiracy to burn Myrtle Beach to the ground.

Sabal was not the only one spreading these conspiracy theories on social media. HustleBitch, a right-wing account, tweeted on Sunday, promoting the same baseless conspiracy theories and making similar connections to fires in Lahaina and Maui, Hawaii.

HustleBitch also shared the same video from WMBF in South Carolina as some kind of proof, as though introducing tame tech upgrades to any city is evidence of something more sinister.

Responses to HustleBitch’s tweets insist that the fires are also being caused by weather modification, which seems to be easier to believe than acknowledging climate change. This appears to be the root of the problem. When something terrible happens, people naturally seek ways to prevent it from happening again, sometimes leading them to find causal connections that don’t exist.

There is no evidence that any Big Tech figures are intentionally starting wildfires to buy up land and build their own cities from scratch. However, there is substantial evidence that the wealthiest individual in the world is currently dismantling the federal government and setting the U.S. economy on a path of destruction to line his own pockets. Believing that someone like Elon Musk could be doing everything he promised doesn’t fit with their worldview, so they resort to claims of space lasers. Apparently, it’s more exciting that way.

Musk doesn’t need space lasers, but he will cause significantly more damage than any space laser has ever done if he is allowed to continue his actions.