Fire and Fury: Story of 2023 Maui fire
The emergence of author Dr Miles Stones’ book, ‘Fire and Fury: Story of 2023 Maui fire’, has sparked some wild online conspiracy theories. It is also not the only theory that has propagated in the wake of the devastating fires.
Since August 8, Hawaii’s Maui island has been hit by catastrophic wildfires which have devastated the historic portions of Lahaina in western Maui. The latest death toll has reached at least 106 people, with an additional 1,000 individuals also reportedly still missing. The wildfires have been described as the most extensive natural catastrophe in the state’s history, and are part of a worldwide pattern of extreme weather events which have been attributed to climate change. As with many major events, especially natural disasters, conspiracy theories have sprung up immediately online.
Wild conspiracy theories appear in wake of devastating Maui fires
Many mainstream media outlets have reported that the wildfires were caused by dry, drought-like conditions worsened by strong winds brought forth by Category 4 Hurricane Dora. However, in the week since the fires first started raging across the island, various people online have spun their own conspiracy theories as to how the fires first started.
One prominent theory doing the rounds on social media suggested the fires were not a natural disaster, but rather a kind of blast from space lasers or directed energy weapons (DEWS). Social media has once again been a hotbed of misinformation with various images of ‘beams’ emanating from the fires going viral on Twitter.
However, most, if not all, of these images have been debunked as fake.
Another (fake) online theory suggests the Maui wildfires were deliberately started by wealthy landowners in order steal land from indigenous populations on the island.
Dr Miles Stones’ book ‘Fire and Fury: Story of 2023 Maui fire’ emerges online
Another prominent conspiracy theory has emerged in the wake of Dr Miles Stones’ book, Fire and Fury: The Story of the 2023 Maui Fire and its Implications for Climate Change.
Some people have been left puzzled by the fact the book was published on Amazon on August 10, just two days after the wildfires first started in Maui.
The book is listed as a ‘best-seller’ in the Weather section category of books and has 14 ratings with an average of one star.
Amazon describes the book in the following way: ‘Fire and Fury: The Story of the Maui Fire and its Implications for Climate Change is a gripping and eye-opening account of one of the most devastating wildfires in Hawaii’s history, and how it reveals the urgent need to address the global climate crisis.
‘The book chronicles the events of August 8-11, 2023, when a massive fire swept across the island of Maui, fueled by drought, heat, and hurricane winds.’
It also reportedly describes the harrowing experiences of the people who lived through the fire, as well as the heroic efforts of the firefighters and rescuers who battled the flames. Furthermore, the book is said to draw on scientific research, eyewitness accounts, official reports, and media coverage to provide a comprehensive and compelling narrative of the Maui fire and its implications for climate change.’
The book also offers practical solutions and recommendations on how we can prevent and prepare for future wildfires, and how we can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate.
‘[It] is a must-read for anyone who cares about the environment, the future of humanity, and the fate of our beautiful planet.’
Dr Miles Stones’ Maui wildfires book sparks conspiracy theories
Skeptical netizens have been commenting that it’s suspicious a book about the Maui fires was able to be written and published in the space of two days. Conspiracy theorists have therefore deduced that the author may have known about the fires long before they happened, fuelling the speculation that the wildfires were ‘planned’ in some way.
One person on Twitter shared a link to the 44-page book on Amazon with the caption: ‘Sorry. I know how long it takes to write a book. What is going on.’
Others also weighed in on the emergence of Dr Stones’ book:
Ok explain to me how is a book Published on Aug 10th 2023 about the Maui Fires that happened Aug 8th -11th Titled Fires &Fury: The story of the Maui Fires & its implications of climate change🤔 is out on Amazon the book was published before the Fires where put out🤦♂️
— 1mZerOCool🍎🎸🤘 (@1mZerOCool) August 15, 2023
However, some have pointed out that the book has to have been written by Artificial Intelligence or some other related AI bot, potentially ChatGPT.
Commenters have cited the speed at which the book was written and published as evidence it was written by AI, as well as the author’s other works.
‘If you check out the author’s page you’ll see that he published 13 or 14 “books” in June and July alone. I strongly suspect AI wrote this drivel,’ one person said.
Little is known about the author Dr Miles Stones but some have speculated it is a pseudonym for an AI bot. His other books include the biographies of Hunter Biden and Billy Walters, The Life Story of Hunter Biden: The President’s Son – A Life of Tragedy, Drama, Addiction, and Scandal and The Life Story Books of Billy Walters: A Gambler, Entrepreneur, Criminal.
