The gigantic fires that have engulfed Los Angeles and its surrounding areas since January 7, 2025 have left behind scenes of desolation.
Supporting photos, however, many Internet users wonder why the trees seem intact. “A selective fire, which pulverizes stone and does not destroy trees while melting the metal of car rims far from houses, does not exist,” writes a Facebook user. “There is only one possible explanation: the use of directed energy weapons,” adds another, referring to laser weapons.
This conspiracy theory resurfaces on social media with each major fire. However, there is a much more rational explanation.
Evaluation
The statement that trees do not burn is false, numerous photos and videos prove it. If certain trees were spared, it is because of their own characteristics or other factors such as the role of the wind. Furthermore, directed energy weapons are incapable of causing fires of this magnitude, an expert told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).
Facts
Contrary to what Internet users claim, many trees burned. A multitude of photos prove it, like here, here and here. Emblematic of Los Angeles, palm trees are, for example, considered particularly flammable.
If certain trees have survived despite everything, it is because of their own characteristics. “The trees are filled with thousands of liters of water,” explains Miranda Hart, professor of biology at the University of British Columbia, interviewed by CBC News. “If there is a tree full of water and something very dry next to it, it is the dry thing that will burn first. So the fire can just go around if there is enough fuel on each side,” she says.
Other factors also come into play, such as a rapid change in wind which can redirect the embers.
“Directed energy” weapons
The unfounded theory according to which these fires were caused by “energy directed weapons” (DEWs), such as lasers, returns to social networks with each devastating fire.
At the beginning of August 2023, the fires which ravaged the island of Maui on the Hawaiian archipelago, in the United States, had already sparked such rumors. A few years earlier, in 2018, similar allegations also circulated about the massive fire that hit the Californian town of Paradise.
However, no evidence put forward online proved the use of these weapons, as the dpa showed in this previous fact-check.
In reality, these weapons, which do exist, are the subject of research in several countries, including the United States. Expected to complete the military arsenal in the future, they are however not yet fully operational. “DEWs are in the early stages of testing for precise, localized use in military contexts, not for large-scale environmental destruction,” says Shawn Rostker, an analyst for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, an NGO. dedicated to reducing and eliminating threats posed by nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
Damage consistent with fires caused by wind
Since 2024, the US military has tested various prototypes, mainly for counter-drone missions. Because that’s what these weapons are for: destroying electronic systems remotely, not causing forest fires.
“To start fires of the magnitude seen in Los Angeles, DEWs would require massive power and infrastructure capable of directing energy over large areas, capabilities far beyond what exists today,” adds Shawn Rostker.
Viral images purporting to show “evidence” of laser use, such as unburned trees near destroyed infrastructure, are easily explained by basic fire behavior, he said. “The uneven damage is consistent with wind-driven wildfires, fuel type and proximity to structures, not precision strikes from a DEW,” it said.
A particularly dry winter
To this day, the investigation continues into the causes of the fires ravaging Los Angeles. Although these are not yet known, weather conditions played a role in the rapid expansion of the flames.
While rains typically peak in January, there had been virtually no rain in the region in recent months. Added to this situation were particularly hot and dry winds which intensified the fires.
According to scientists, these conditions are becoming more frequent with global warming due to human activities.
(Situation as of 16.1.2024)
