Did so-called directed energy weapons (DEW) using laser beam energy cause the wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, and the Wajima post-quake fires in Japan because only blue-colored objects, allegedly not impacted by lasers, survived the catastrophe? No, that's not true: Both fires were caused by different events. Hawaii's power utility fanned by severe winds caused the fires that destroyed areas of Maui and an earthquake in Japan set off fires in Wajima. Additionally, buildings, cars, and other objects of different colors survived the fires, and not all those colored in blue did.
The claim appeared on TikTok (archived here) on January 6, 2024, from user @user5241297381157 suggesting it is bizarre that only blue-colored items survived fires during wildfires in Maui, warning that the same phenomenon is happening in Wajima, and urging viewers to "wake up."
Captions translated into English from Japanese by Lead Stories staff read:
Look at this parasol. It's blue. ... The plastic material of these parasols should not be able to withstand such heat [from the Maui fires].
The fact that such a big fire was able to leave some things unscathed is bizarre in itself.
The photographer [of the photo below this quote] wanted to send a message out there.
Similar bizarre events are happening in the fires at Wajima.
Everyone, please open your eyes to the truth.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Tue Jan 23 21:09:20 2024 UTC)
Blue items being spared is not evidence of laser technology or directed energy weapons (DEWs) causing the fires. This is a baseless conspiracy theory that is unfounded because drone shots in both Maui (archived here) and Wajima (archived here) show that items that weren't blue were also spared from the fire:
(Source: Photo taken by Patrick T. Fallon for AFP via CNBC saved on Tue Jan 23 23:56:52 2024 UTC)
In the image above that depicts the aftermath of the Maui fires, it's clear that houses and cars of different colors survived the fires.
(Source: Photo taken by "Kibou" for Mainichi Newspaper saved on Tue Jan 24 00:07:45 2024 UTC)
Similarly, in the above picture which depicts the aftermath of the Wajima fires, buildings that aren't blue are visibly seen to survive the fire as well.
Additionally, the causes of the fires in both Maui and Wajima differed. Whereas the main reason the Maui fires happened was due to harsh winds destroying utility poles and power lines (archived here), Wajima's fires were a by-product of the earthquake in the Noto Peninsula, which destroyed gas tanks and pipes as it impacted homes (archived here).
Lead Stories has debunked similar trends about the Maui fires here, here, here, here, and here.
