evidence: It’s not known what sparked the wildfires in Maui, although some evidence points to downed power lines. The conditions were ripe for fire, as large amounts of invasive grasses were dry due to drought and high winds helped to rapidly spread flames. Bogus posts on social media, however, are baselessly claiming the fires were intentionally set. [...] 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." [...] Marcelo, Philip. "A video doesn’t show a laser beam igniting Maui’s wildfires. It’s a transformer explosion in Chile." Associated Press. 14 Aug 2023.