evidence: One popular Instagram post from Aug. 11, which someone else then repackaged, claims the fire in Maui isn’t a wildfire, but instead a "direct energy weapon assault." As evidence, the narrator then claims to show a picture from a friend in Hawaii of "a laser beam coming out of the sky directly targeting the city." [...] Payne, Ed. "Fact Check: NO Evidence Hawaii Wildfires Caused By ‘Direct Energy Weapon Assault.’" Lead Stories. 14 Aug 2023. [...] Cercone, Jeff. "Photo used to claim ‘direct energy assault’ started Hawaii wildfires has circulated since 2018." PolitiFact. 11 Aug 2023.