Associated Incidents
As another wildfire broke out Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills, social media was flooded with fake AI-generated photos and videos of the landmark Hollywood Sign on fire.
While the sign was not impacted by the Sunset Fire, which has since been fully contained after burning 43 acres, many have criticized the viral images for spreading harmful misinformation while many in the area have had to evacuate out of fear for their lives.
"Stop with the Bull---, people are losing everything. The Hollywood Sign on fire is a fake, stop reposting it," wrote one person on X.
"Great, there's an AI-generated photo going on with the Hollywood sign on fire," someone else wrote. "We are all really raw and vulnerable right now and don't need fake images circulating."
"Stop sharing fake photographs, do not make others confused. We are already dealing with a lot," another posted with a current video of the sign. "No the iconic Hollywood Sign is not on fire."
X has since added reader-suggested context to such posts. "This is fake, the Hollywood sign is fine and not close to the current fire, which is under control," the disclaimer reads, with a link to a live video feed of the sign.
And despite Mark Zuckerburg's recent announcement that Meta will pivot away from fact-checking, some posts feature added context from conservative outlet The Dispatch that "Images of the Hollywood Sign Engulfed in Flames Are Fake."
"Wow... this image got me thinking spiritually..." Marlon Wayans captioned one such image in part, before editing the caption to add: "Not sure if it's real or not. Don't care."
Celebrating its 100th birthday last year, the Hollywood Sign (originally Hollywoodland) was originally meant as an advertisement to lure real estate investors. It has since become a symbol for the city, surviving several tragedies over the decades.
Located just above several subdivisions of homes in the Beachwood Canyon neighborhood, many of the nearby residents were evacuated after the Sunset Fire broke out at around 5:30pm on Wednesday. Evacuation orders have since been lifted.
Fires have broken out in Malibu, the Pacific Palisades, Eaton Canyon, the Hollywood Hills and other areas around Los Angeles County amid a "life-threatening and destructive" windstorm that picked up Tuesday.
As of Thursday, at least six people have died in the Southern California wildfires, which have forced nearly 180,000 people to evacuate and left more than 1.5 million without power.
A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Sunset Fire burns in the Hollywood Hills with evacuations ordered on Jan, 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
President Joe Biden, who extended his Los Angeles trip on Wednesday to visit first responders and those affected, declared the fires a major disaster.
"Over 100,000 people have been ordered to evacuate communities impacted by the Southern California wildfires," wrote Biden on X. "At least two people have been killed. And many more are injured --- including firefighters. It's devastating. To the residents of Southern California: We are with you."