Southern California is battling a series of wildfires that have scorched over 29,000 acres, claimed at least five lives, and destroyed more than 2,000 structures.
One of the fires is burning in the Hollywood Hills near the Hollywood Bowl. With news of that fire, images and videoscirculated online that appear to show the iconic Hollywood sign engulfed in flames.
🚨 BREAKING: Hollywood sign is on Fire pic.twitter.com/0Ea8GN3pQs
— 𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐒 (@Antunes1) January 9, 2025
Many have questioned the authenticity of these images, and people on the Hollywood sign’s Facebook page are asking if the landmark is on fire.
THE QUESTION
Are the images of the Hollywood sign on fire real?
THE SOURCES
- Jeff Zarrinnam, Chair of the Hollywood Sign Trust
- CalFire incident maps
- Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Erik Scott
THE ANSWER
No, the images of the Hollywood sign on fire aren’t real.
WHAT WE FOUND
The images online showing the Hollywood sign on fire are fake and were likely generated using artificial intelligence. As of Jan. 9, the fire had not reached Griffith Park, where the Hollywood sign is located.
“Griffith Park is temporarily closed as a safety precaution, but the sign itself is not affected and is secure,” Jeff Zarrinnam, chair of the Hollywood Sign Trust, told VERIFY.
According to CalFire’s incident maps, the Sunset Fire, which began on Jan. 8, is the closest wildfire to Griffith Park. The maps confirm the fire did not reach the park. The fire burned 42.8 acres before forward progress was halted, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said.
#SunsetFire 🔥 #RunyonCanyon#LAFD•Started: January 8, 2025•Size: 42.8 acres •Containment: Forward progress has been stopped and crews are working to put out hotspots within the fire perimeter and keep the wind from spreading embers.•Notes: This fire was rapidly and…
— Erik Scott (@PIOErikScott) January 9, 2025
VERIFY analyzed the images of the burning Hollywood sign circulating online and found there are inconsistencies that suggest they were AI-generated, including irregular spacing between the letters and discrepancies in the number of brackets supporting the Hollywood sign. The actual letters also don’t appear to be burning, despite the flames surrounding them. This image also has a watermark in the lower right-hand corner for Grok, which is X’s AI creation tool.