Podcaster Andrew Huberman has claimed that people are setting fires in urban areas of Los Angeles that would otherwise not have been affected by the devastating wildfires.
The 49-year-old neuroscientist from Stanford claims to have witnessed an incident in which people started a fire “firsthand” in Santa Monica, near Crescent Bay Park.
It comes as two new fires broke out overnight in the Hollywood Hills and Studio City, forcing emergency responders to deploy their already scarce resources on the burned landscape as more than 130,000 people are under evacuation orders have been placed.
So far, at least five people have been killed in the disaster – which destroyed 2,000 structures and left thousands of people in the city with nothing but ash.
Huberman, who has 5.2 million subscribers to his health podcast Huberman Lab, took to social media platform
He wrote, “People are lighting fires in otherwise non-burning urban areas of LA.
“I saw this happen firsthand in Santa Monica. Called it and fire and police responded.
“Stay safe and call any activity as soon as possible. We don’t need any more flames here.’
The footage shows a group of men standing around a large fire as smoke billows into the air, while the adjacent tree has also been set on fire as a result. One man films the incident with his phone.
However, it is unclear from the video how the fire started.
Pictured: A selection of images shared by Andrew Huberman to X showing a group of men around a large fire in Santa Monica, LA
Pictured: The footage shows a group of men standing around a large blaze as smoke billows into the air. One also appears to film the incident on his phone
Neurobiology professor Andrew Huberman (pictured speaking at a conference in Boston in 2023) claimed to have seen the incident firsthand
The footage received mixed reactions online, with some labeling it ‘insane’ and ‘horrific’, while another said ‘what an absolute nightmare’.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has been dominating headlines lately due to his ongoing feud with Sir Keir Starmer, also commented on the images with: ‘Wow’.
One person wrote: ‘Oh God. This is a very frightening and very sad incident. I haven’t been able to sleep for many nights.’
Another person said: ‘Why would anyone do this?’
‘Horrible. It feels like LA is under attack right now. Fires are everywhere. Pay attention to your safety!’ said another.
But not everyone was convinced by the claims, with one person saying: ‘I got really irritated by the tinfoil-wearing conspiracy people who said the LA fires are the result of arson.
“Do they really not know how far embers can travel in wind, let alone in high winds?” The stupidity is simply mind-boggling.”
It comes as raging wildfires around Los Angeles spread to the Hollywood Hills last night after other blazes in the area killed at least five people, destroyed hundreds of homes and stretched firefighting resources and water supplies to the limit.
Another fire broke out in the parched Hollywood Hills last night, Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told a news conference, forcing more evacuations and raising the number of wildfires in Los Angeles County to at least six.
Huberman, who has 5.2 million subscribers to his health podcast Huberman Lab, took to social media platform
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has been dominating headlines lately due to his ongoing feud with Sir Keir Starmer, responded to the images with: ‘Wow’
The footage received mixed reactions online, with some labeling it ‘insane’ and ‘horrific’, while another said ‘what an absolute nightmare’.
Four of them were 0 percent contained, according to state officials, including a pair of large fires on the eastern and western flanks of the city that continued to grow as night fell yesterday.
In between, the so-called Sunset Fire in Hollywood Hills scorched 50 acres yesterday, Cal Fire said.
Helicopter crews and ground teams appeared to be making progress, hampering its rapid advance.
The LA Fire Department issued an evacuation order for people in an area within Hollywood Boulevard to the south, Mulholland Drive to the north, the 101 Freeway to the east and Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west.
Within that area is the Dolby Theater, where the Oscars are held. The announcement of next week’s Oscar nominations has already been postponed by two days because of the fire, organizers said.
A helicopter flies as smoke rises from the Sunset Fire in the hills above Hollywood yesterday
Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire as it burns during a storm on the west side of Los Angeles
A person uses a garden hose yesterday in an attempt to save a house from becoming stuck in Altadena
The remains of a home destroyed in the Palisades Fire in Malibu were pictured last night
Flames rise from the Sunset Fire in the hills overlooking the Hollywood district of Los Angeles
A car burns as the Eaton Fire swept through the Altadena area of California yesterday
Although relatively small, the Sunset Fire burned just above Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame. It would have to cross the 101 freeway to compromise the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory further up in the hills.
Nearby, a building fire destroyed at least two homes and spread to Studio City, live television footage showed. More than 50 firefighters extinguished the blaze without any injuries, the LA Fire Department said.
On the west side of Los Angeles, the Palisades Fire consumed 15,832 acres and hundreds of structures in the hills between Santa Monica and Malibu, raging through Topanga Canyon until reaching the Pacific Ocean yesterday.
A house reportedly owned by Hollywood actors Leighton Meester and Adam Brody was among the destroyed buildings.
Aerial footage from television station KTLA showed block after block of smoldering homes in Pacific Palisades, the smoky grid occasionally interrupted by the orange glow of another home still burning.
To the east, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, the Eaton Fire claimed another 10,600 acres, another 1,000 buildings, and killed at least five people, officials said.
Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated the initial damage and economic loss at more than $50 billion (£40 billion).