FALSE
AI-generated images showing the Hollywood sign on fire went viral during the January 2025 LA wildfires, accumulating millions of views. The Hollywood sign was never in danger - the Palisades Fire was miles away. Multiple telltale AI artifacts were identified, including an extra "L" in "HOLLYWOOD" and impossible flame physics.
During the devastating January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, AI-generated images depicting the iconic Hollywood sign engulfed in flames spread rapidly across social media. Fact-checkers from Full Fact, Snopes, AP, and Reuters quickly identified these as fabrications. The Hollywood sign, located in Griffith Park, was never threatened by the Palisades Fire which burned in a different area. The images contained multiple AI generation artifacts, most notably an extra letter that spelled "HOLLLYWOOD" with three L's.
The Viral Image
On January 8, 2025, during the peak of the Palisades Fire coverage, an image showing the Hollywood sign with flames appearing to engulf the hillside went viral on X/Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok [1].
The image accumulated over 5 million views within 24 hours, with many users expressing shock and grief at the apparent destruction of the iconic landmark [2].
The AI Tells
Full Fact identified multiple indicators that the image was AI-generated. Most obviously, the sign in the viral image spelled "HOLLLYWOOD" with three L's - a common AI error when generating text [1].
Additional artifacts included impossible fire physics (flames appearing to burn upward from horizontal surfaces), inconsistent lighting angles, and the characteristic "too perfect" aesthetic of AI-generated images [3].
Geographic Reality
The Hollywood sign is located in Griffith Park in the eastern part of the Santa Monica Mountains. The Palisades Fire burned in Pacific Palisades, approximately 15 miles west [7].
LAFD confirmed that the Hollywood sign was never threatened during the January 2025 fires. The Hollywood Sign Trust also issued a statement confirming the sign was undamaged [15].
The Spread
NewsGuard tracked the image's spread and found it was shared by several verified accounts before being debunked, giving it additional perceived credibility [11].
The LA Times reported that some accounts sharing the image appeared to be doing so knowingly, using the disaster for engagement farming [12].
Real Destruction vs. Fake Images
The January 2025 LA wildfires caused genuine, devastating destruction - over 10,000 structures burned and at least 24 people died. The real tragedy did not need AI embellishment [6].
ISD Global noted that fake images can distract from real documentation and give fodder to those who want to dismiss legitimate disaster reporting [16].
Conclusion
The viral Hollywood sign fire images are unambiguously fake - AI-generated images with multiple telltale artifacts. The sign was never threatened by the January 2025 fires. While the real wildfires caused catastrophic damage, these fake images served only to spread confusion and undermine trust in legitimate disaster coverage.