Claim: Social media users claimed that a viral image showing a red-roofed house standing untouched amidst burnt properties survived because it was a former Islamic school.
Verdict: Misleading. DUBAWA’s findings traced the image to an August 2023 fire incident in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. It is unrelated to the recent fire outbreak in Los Angeles, has no religious affiliation, and is not AI-generated. The claims are misleading!
Full Text
Recent wildfires in Los Angeles County, particularly the Eaton and Palisades fires, have caused widespread destruction and loss of life. The Eaton Fire, which started on Jan. 7, 2025, has burned approximately 14,117 acres with 27 per cent containment, destroying over 1,422 structures destroyed and 11 casualties.
Meanwhile, the Palisades Fire has rapidly spread to over 23,700 acres with no containment reported, leading to at least 1,000 buildings destroyed and five confirmed deaths.
Following this incident, an image of a red-roofed white house standing intact amidst completely razed properties began circulating on social media. The image is being used to drive three different narratives. As seen here, here, and here, some Facebook users claimed the house was saved because it had been previously used to teach the Holy Quran.
Other users said it was built on the solid rock, “Jesus Christ.” Another group has claimed that the image was generated using artificial intelligence tools.
DUBAWA conducted this fact check to nip the rising controversy around the wildfire and set the records straight.
Verification
Using a reverse image search, we traced the original version of this image to an August 2023 wildfire incident in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, which razed all buildings except the one in question.
According to the owners, Dora Millikin and Dudley Millikin, they had recently carried out a renovation that cost about $4 million. While that is thought to have contributed to the protection of the house, the refurbishment was not done with any fireproofing intention.
Speaking to the LA Times, Dora said, “It’s a 100% wood house, so it’s not like we fireproofed it or anything. The refurbishment works included replacing the asphalt roof with a heavy-gauge metal one. The couple had also reduced foliage around the house to minimise the risk of termites.”
Conclusion
The claim is misleading as the image was traced to an August 2023 fire incident in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. Although we do not know if the house owners are Muslims or Christians, they did not ascribe the survival of their home to their religion. Likewise, the image is not AI-generated.
