Photos purporting to show iconic Hollywood sign on fire AI-generated
Photos and videos shared of the Hollywood sign burning in the Sunset Fire have been AI-generated
CLAIM
A number of photos, as well as videos, spread on social media shortly after news broke of a fire burning in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday evening, January 8, purport to show the iconic Hollywood sign in flames.
BACKGROUND
A wildfire broke out on Runyon Canyon in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday evening, January 8, triggering mandatory evacuation orders. A mandatory evacuation zone was announced in parts of the Hollywood Hills west of Highway 101.
The fire, dubbed the Sunset Fire, comes amid the outbreak of devastating fires around Los Angeles fuelled by powerful Santa Ana winds since Tuesday. The blazes have killed five people.
More than 2,000 structures have been burnt and at least 130,000 people placed under evacuation orders.
Within hours of the outbreak of the Sunset Fire, images and videos were circulating on social media claiming to show the iconic Hollywood sign in the Hollywood Hills burning.
The sign has been standing in its place for over 100 years, having been first erected in 1923 at the peak of silent cinema, and initially read “Hollywoodland”. While it was originally constructed from wood and steel, today’s sign is made from corrugated steel and mounted on a steel frame.
METHOD
The LA Times reported in its live blog that the Sunset Fire first broke out around 5.45 pm local time on Wednesday at 2350 N. Solar Drive, located just under 4 kilometres southwest of the Hollywood sign as the crow flies. In just under 4 hours it had spread 60 acres, (0.24 sq km).
In order for the fire to reach the sign, it would need to jump Highway 101, which it has not done at time of writing.
As of 1.45 a.m. local time on January 8, a number of these images were already hours old, having been shared within the four hours from when the fire broke out. One image of the Hollywood sign on fire had been shared before the outbreak of the fire.
The photo also shows a logo of Grok, an AI generator developed by xAI that was founded by X platform owner Elon Musk in March 2023. This logo also appeared in the bottom right of another image shared on X and seen below.
A third image (seen below) was shared within two hours of the outbreak of the fire. The fire could not have reached the Hollywood sign within that time, according to the LA Times reported pace at which the fire was spreading and the area it would have needed to cover. The name of the account and its posting history suggests an agenda linked to the QAnon conspiracy theories.
While some of the accounts sharing the photos appear to be aware of the fact they are fake, commenting on the Grok logo, others are appearing to share them in earnest.
Raws Alerts addressed the spread of the images first sharing a screengrab from a live webcam looking onto the sign within four hours of the outbreak of the fire.
RATING
At time of writing, photos and videos shared of the Hollywood sign burning in the Sunset Fire have been AI generated.
SOURCES
Times, L.A. (2025) ‘5 dead, more than 2,000 structures burned as new fire hits Hollywood Hills,’ Los Angeles Times.[Accessed 8 Jan. 2025].
Los Angeles Fire Department. (2025) Brush Fire – SUNSET FIRE EVACUATION ORDER. [Accessed 8 Jan. 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: HOLLYWOOD SIGN IS ON FIRE! [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: The hollywood sign is really on fire bro [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: EVERYONE SAY BYE BYE TO PEDOWOOD !!! [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: #BREAKING: The Hollywood sign is not on fire, even though a new fire has started… [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].