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Since a devastating wildfire hit Maui on August 8, the internet has been teeming with several bizarre conspiracy theories. For instance, netizens believe that government officials were involved in the spread of the fires as one of them did not allow sirens to go off, while the other delayed efforts to extinguish the fires until it was too late.
However, the two most viral and bizarre conspiracy theories include the launch of direct energy weapons (DEW) or laser beams that allegedly caused an explosion and ultimately led to the inferno. It is also speculated that elites who own property in Maui plotted with real estate investors and developers to cause the deliberate fire to grab lands from the natives.
For so long, the last two conspiracy theories were deemed unrelated. However, recently, internet sleuths have been wondering whether they might be connected. In fact, the latest claim states that the Maui fire was caused by direct energy weapons which were programmed not to target blue-colored objects in its trajectory.
The theory emerged when an X user by the handle @WallStreetApes posted over the weekend, claiming that the direct energy weapons’ lasers were programmed to only attack objects of different wavelengths except for anything blue in color.
In fact, he attached a TikTok video supporting his theory that showed a yellow, red, blue, green, and white cloth hit with a laser, which burned all cloths except the blue. The user noted:
“Laser weapons can be programmed for different wavelengths. There was something blue they didn’t want to burn…The Maui, Lahaina, Hawaii Fires Were A Planned Attack!!”
The conspiracy theory emerged in the wake of viral blue beach umbrellas that were spared by the fire, as their surroundings were scorched to the ground. Following this, another X user dug out an image of an article allegedly from October 2022 with the headline:
“Why the Heck are Celebs All Painting Their Maui Properties the Same Weird Shade of Blue?”
This picture further fuelled the conspiracy theory with social media users now believing that the celebrities who own properties in Maui knew about the fires in advance and were even part of the DEW conspiracy to grab lands from the locals.
However, it must be noted that an advisory below the article has now cautioned users about it being a fabricated image.
Netizens react to the article on celebrities painting houses blue in Maui
The image of the article with the headline “Why the Heck are Celebs All Painting Their Maui Properties the Same Weird Shade of Blue?” was first shared on X by @bretfebibljesus. The picture shows Oprah Winfrey’s photo on one side and a blue-roofed house on the other. Below is mentioned the section “Mystery” followed by the eye-brow-raising headline.
The image also accuses several celebrities alongside Oprah, including Obama, Clinton, Hanks, DeGeneres, Tiegen, Kid Rock. The supposed authors are mentioned as Mikki Brammer and Elizabeth Fazzare, along with the publication date of October 18, 2022.
However, no source was given, not even a link to the original article. An advisory specified that "there is no post" by the mentioned authors on the said date apart from an Architectural Digest article on Interior Design Trends.
Regardless, netizens are still of the opinion that the elites and the celebrities knew about the alleged launch of the DEW which was programmed to not hit anything blue in its path, which is why they opted for that particular shade for their Maui properties.
Some internet users were skeptical about @bretfebibljesus’ post and searched for the article, only to fail. In fact, it seemed that the article never ever existed in the first place and may have been morphed.
Not only that, but people also figured out that the authors mentioned were involved with the lifestyle website, Architectural Digest, and the only article they wrote on that date carried the headline “These Are the Top 5 Interior Design Trends of 2022 So Far.”
Several of them also took to X to refute the original post's claims.
The Economics Times cites that the new Maui conspiracy theory may be based on “Project Blue Beam” which was another conspiracy theory of the 1990s that claimed that NASA and the United Nations were trying to create a “new age religion” to take control over the world.
The purpose of the alleged project was believed to abolish traditional religions and replace them with just one, destroying national identities to establish world pride, and to invalidate the family system to ensure individuals work for a one-world government.
As the conspiracy theories continued to gain traction online, it is important to note that so far, no real evidence has emerged to support them. However, the exact cause behind the Maui fire still remains a mystery. Government officials have stated that it was caused by strong winds and dry, drought-like conditions brought forth by Category 4 Hurricane Dora.
As of Tuesday, 114 people are confirmed dead, with over 850 missing, and billions of dollars worth of property damage in Maui.
