Some have circulated a video purporting to show a group of men in uniform lighting the forest on fire in order to destroy it.
Verified accounts on twitter, including @raviagrawal3 added “How forests are burned and they claim that climate change is the cause and spend tens of billions of dollars for the climate.” on May 19, 2024. The tweet has received an about 12.7k views on X.
🚨 Look…
— I$lami© T€rrorist (@raviagrawal3) May 19, 2024
How forests are burned and they claim that climate change is the cause and spend tens of billions of dollars for the climate. pic.twitter.com/HwdfUm9RAC
What is the Actual Truth About this Incident? : Fact
These statements are untrue, as a matter of fact. This video is about controlled burns, often known as prescribed fires. Prescribed burns are meant to simulate the frequency and intensity of naturally occurring fires, lessen the amount of fuel that naturally occurs during fires, and enhance the conditions of forage for livestock and wildlife. Another video purporting to be from Himachal Pradesh in India was posted a few days ago and showed a controlled burn in Arizona. We visited seattletimes, which wrote about this on May 26, 2024 with the heading “Where WA plans to burn before wildfire season”. It said “The state Department of Natural Resources will burn up to 2,580 acres in Central and Eastern Washington before the summer season, aiming to prevent severe wildfires later.” “Prescribed fires are a critical, cost-effective component of restoring the health of our forests and protecting our communities from the worst outcomes during wildfire season,” Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz said in a statement. Further, for more clarification, we also went to ncwlife, which posted an article on this on Feb 29, 2024 with the headline “Prescribed burns to begin in March across Washington”. “Prescribed fire and thinning activities could start as early as the first week in March. Due to the mild winter and recent warmer temperatures, we will be able to gain access to our spring prescribed fire units earlier this year,” said Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest acting deputy fire and fuels staff officer Andrew Hall.
@HotshotWake added “Washington put some good fire down recently on the Airplane Rx outside of Glenwood, WA. A beautiful looking burn in an incredible forest landscape. Cheers to everyone involved. #WAFire #wildfire” on May 18, 2024.
Washington put some good fire down recently on the Airplane Rx outside of Glenwood, WA.
— The Hotshot Wake Up (@HotshotWake) May 17, 2024
A beautiful looking burn in an incredible forest landscape. Cheers to everyone involved. #WAFire #wildfire
Thanks to the subscriber that shared this 📷. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/cHRvfT6Xxr
D-Intent’s Fact-Checking Results:
1985
— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) May 19, 2024
ANALYSIS: Misleading
FACT: A video that shows a group of men in uniform setting the forest on fire has been shared claiming that these people setting the forest on fire to destroy it. The fact is that these claims are not true. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/xZTkMFY9sH
Intent:
Propagandists are circulating videos of prescribed fire with misleading claims to get the spotlight on social media. A video that shows a group of men in uniform setting the forest on fire has been shared claiming that these people setting the forest on fire to destroy it. These assertions are not true. This video is about prescribed fires, or controlled burns. Prescribed burns aim to replicate natural fire frequency and intensity, reduce fuel loads, making natural fires less destructive, and enhance forage conditions for wildlife and livestock. A few days ago, another video depicting a controlled fire in Arizona surfaced, purporting to be from India’s Himachal Pradesh.
Conclusion:
Claim : A video has been uploaded showing a group of men in uniform lighting fire to the forest, with the allegation that they are doing it to destroy it.
Fact : The fact is that these claims are not true. This video is related to prescribed fire or controlled burn. Prescribed fires are intended to mimic natural fire frequency and intensity, reduce fuel loads so that natural fires are less destructive & improve forage conditions for wildlife and livestock. A few days ago, another video of a controlled burn in Arizona was shared, claiming to be from India’s Himachal Pradesh.
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