An image depicting a lone church standing intact amidst a charred and desolate landscape has been widely circulated, with claims that it shows the aftermath of the recent wildfires in California. However, no verified or credible sources have been found to substantiate this claim. Further analysis using AI detection tools revealed that the image was artificially generated using Artificial Intelligence.
Sharing the image on X (Formerly Twitter) @rkmtimes wrote, “BREAKING A Church oldest Church in Los Angeles has saved by God. The Pro-Palestinian were hundreds of Californian refuge in a single church to save themselves. Power of God Jesus Christ”.
BREAKING 🔥🚨 A Church oldest Church in Los Angeles has saved by God.
— RKM (@rkmtimes) January 13, 2025
🚨 The Pro-Palestinian were hundreds of Californian refuge in a single church to save themselves.
🚨Power of God Jesus Christ 🙏 pic.twitter.com/V5PLwrbYUC
Several other users and Influencers have also disseminated the image and made similar claims. Their posts can be seen here, @Ngafocus, @drpenking, @AganaGee
The truth about the viral image from wildfires in California, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the image and claims came to our notice. Subsequently, we conducted research and analysis of the video. We found that the image was not related to a real-life situation but an AI-generated creation.
To verify the claims made by the users. We performed a reverse image search using Google Lens and relevant keyword searches but couldn’t find any credible sources supporting these claims. Furthermore, we analysed the image through various AI detector tools indicating it was created using Artificial Intelligence.
Therefore, it is evident from verified sources that the image was not real but an AI-generated creation.
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— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) January 15, 2025
ANALYSIS: Fake
FACT: An image showing a lone church standing intact amid a charred,desolate landscape has been widely shared, claiming to depict the aftermath of the recent wildfires in California.Our research found no verified/credible sources to support this claim. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/0ihS58wZHP
Intent
Influencers are circulating AI-generated images with misleading claims to get the spotlight on social media.
Conclusion
Claim– A lone church standing intact amidst a charred and desolate landscape in California.
Fact– The image was not real but AI-generated creation.
Related Article: Fact Check: Old video of Controlled burn falsely linked to the recent wildfires in California – D-Intent Data
