As the wildfires in Los Angeles continue to rage, having already taken the lives of five people and burned over 1,000 structures, a picture that has since gone viral shows the iconic Hollywood sign on Mount Lee amidst the Santa Monica Mountains on fire, causing widespread concern. The news became even more significant after Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley informed the press about a new brush fire in the Hollywood Hills, which started at 5:30 PM. Is the iconic Hollywood sign on Mount Lee ablaze? Read on to learn more about this story.
The fire department issued an alert following the breakout:
“Evacuate now from the area of Runyon Canyon. Those not in the evacuation area should shelter in place. Evacuation order for Sunset Fire.”
Soon, witnesses started posting pictures and videos of the fire, which seemed to be very close to the famous landmark.
It is also reported that the brush fire, called the Sunset Fire, began in the Runyon Canyon area along the hills.
Did Hollywood Sign Catch Fire?
However, the images of the iconic Hollywood sign on fire are all fake and AI-generated. Upon closer examination, the Grok AI watermark is visible on the bottom right of the picture, and there is an extra letter in the sign.
What confused netizens, however, was a second picture that did not have the Grok watermark. Later, this picture was also proven to be fake, and X users shared a webcam image where the sign was seen unscathed.
Raw Reporting wrote in a separate tweet:
“The current fire is approximately 2.3 miles away from the iconic Hollywood sign. Images circulating online of the sign smoldering or on fire are fake.”
The current fire is approximately 2.3 miles away from the iconic Hollywood sign. Images circulating online of the sign smoldering or on fire are fake.#SunsetFire #Hollywood #LosAngelesFire pic.twitter.com/xezUxDUXYX
— Raw Reporting (@Raw_Reporting) January 9, 2025
However, the situation is dire, with the fire having spread across 20 acres and moving towards the hiking trails along the area and the mansions on Hollywood Boulevard. Nonetheless, the Hollywood sign, which came into existence in 1923, remains safe and unaffected by the wildfires.
Another X account, @rawsalerts, confirmed:
“The Hollywood sign is not on fire, even though a new fire has started. Numerous news accounts and other pages are sharing fake AI-generated images claiming otherwise.”
🚨#BREAKING: The Hollywood sign is not on fire, even though a new fire has started. Numerous news accounts and other pages are sharing fake AI-generated images claiming otherwise. Here’s a current live picture of the Hollywood sign to set the record straight. pic.twitter.com/kiZrzl7kD9
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) January 9, 2025
Also Read: Devastating Pacific Palisades Fire Claims Lives Amid Budget Cuts and Criticism of LA Mayor
