Dozens of viral images and videos depict Los Angeles’ famous Hollywood sign on fire. The posts, many of which have hundreds of thousands of views, are spreading widely across X and other social media platforms.
“The iconic Hollywood sign has stood for 102 years but it may not last the night. Democrats eventually burn everything to the ground,” reads one post. “The Famous Hollywood sign is burning in the California fires,” says another. “This is a once in a lifetime crisis! Stay Safe.”
The images are fake.
“We just verified that it is not true. The sign is secure,” a spokesperson for Hollywood Sign Trust, the nonprofit that maintains and secures the sign, told The Dispatch Fact Check Thursday morning. “Griffith Park itself is closed for security precautions, but the Hollywood Sign isn’t on fire and isn’t in the line of danger.”
While the Hollywood sign is close to an ongoing fire in the Hollywood Hills, it is not under threat from the larger Palisades or Eaton fires in western and northern Los Angeles. The Sunset fire, which forced some evacuations in the Hollywood area late on Wednesday, peaked at around 50 acres, but is now in retreat and did not damage any homes. The Los Angeles City Fire Department lifted evacuation orders for the Hollywood area on Thursday morning.
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