South Carolina wildfires falsely linked to 'smart city' plans
Similar claims circulated across Facebook, and Instagram -- with one post going as far as claiming: "The 'wildfires' are being set off INTENTIONALLY by DEWs (Directed Energy Weapons) so they can easily burn down the area."
AFP has fact-checked numerous claims linking wildfires to experimental energy weapons, a target of long-circulating conspiracy theories.
Similarly, "smart city" projects -- an urban planning concept that uses a wide range of technology to improve public services while cutting greenhouse gas emissions -- have often triggered conspiratorial claims alongside coverage of wildfires.
AFP debunked similar claims during the deadly fires in Los Angeles, as well as after the massive fires that struck Hawaii and Canada in 2023.
In early March, Horry County -- which includes the resort area of Myrtle Beach -- experienced several fires including the Carolina Forest wildfire (archived here), but "there are no wildfires inside the city," Meredith Denari, the city's communications director, told AFP on March 4.
More than 2,000 acres (809 hectares) have burned in an area about 10 miles (16 kms) from the city, with the city's fire department providing aid (archived here). The fire has been contained to almost half its original size, according to county authorities (archived here).
Crews were investigating (archived here) what started the fire -- with officials telling local media that neither lightning, nor controlled burns in the area were to blame. Horry County's fire rescue team and the South Carolina Forestry Commission both said blazes were worsened by severe weather, including storms.
Officials declined to discuss the social media claims. "We don't respond to social media claims and conspiracies, especially those that have nothing to do with our role in fighting this or any other wildfire(s)," Doug Wood, director of communications of South Carolina Forestry Commission, added on March 4.
But there is no evidence of the fire being set to advance technological efforts.
Horry County has a history of bad fire seasons. In 1976, the county experienced the largest forest fire ever recorded (archived here) in South Carolina, with about 30,000 acres (12,141 hectares) burned.
Myrtle Beach does in fact have plans for technological improvements (archived here and here).
They stem from various "smart city" initiatives launched since at least 2023, some of which are presented in city press releases (archived here and here).
But the plan focuses on technology-forward efforts such as cloud-based digital government services including emergency alerts and payment processing (archived here).
"Yes, the city is working towards building a Living Lab to give tech companies a place to prototype and test emerging technologies within Myrtle Beach. We aim for that lab to be built within our Arts & Innovation District," Denari said.
"It is just a building, it is nothing that would blanket or change the landscape of a city," Denari said.
Other technology projects related to the city include undersea cables operated by Alphabet and Meta (archived here, here and here).
More of AFP's reporting on misinformation surrounding wildfires can be found here.
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