AI-Generated Posts Showed Hollywood Sign on Fire But the Landmark Is Safe After Sunset Fire Is Contained
Fake posts on social media showed the iconic sign aflame on Wednesday night
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images; Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty
As another fire began to alight in the Los Angeles area on Wednesday, residents in the Hollywood Hills — as well as onlookers worldwide — feared for the safety of those involved, not to mention the iconic Hollywood Sign.
However, the Sunset Fire, which broke out in Runyon Canyon, is now 100% contained, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on Thursday, Jan. 9.
Concern for the sign first sparked on social media, where fake, AI-generated posts circulated late Wednesday, Jan. 8, showing the sign on fire.
On Thursday, the landmark’s Instagram account sought to set the record straight.
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“The Hollywood Sign continues to stand tall! Please keep the rest of Los Angeles County in your thoughts, and stay alert if you have to travel around,” the Hollywood Sign Trust, a nonprofit organization responsible for physically maintaining, repairing and securing the Hollywood Sign, posted. “Stay tuned with reputable news stations like @abc7la @nbcnews @ktla5news @cbsnews @foxla.”
The Sunset Fire broke out just before 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Jan. 8, according to Cal Fire.
In a post on X on Thursday, Bass asked those returning home to "please drive SLOWLY and watch the road," adding, "Firefighters are still working in some damaged areas.”
The Sunset Fire was concentrated near Runyon Canyon Park, about 7.5 miles from the Hollywood Sign, USA Today reports.
Related: John Goodman’s Pacific Palisades Home Has Burned Down as L.A. Fires Continue to Rage: PHOTO
As of Wednesday, Griffith Park, which includes the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the American West and the Griffith Observatory, was closed for safety reasons, Jeff Zarrinnam, chair of the Hollywood Sign Trust, said, according to the newspaper.
Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.
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