Image shows the Hollywood sign was on fire as of Jan. 8.
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
The Hollywood Sign is seen in Los Angeles, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP)
The Hollywood sign wasn’t on fire as of Jan. 10. This image is fake
If Your Time is short
-
As of Jan. 10, the sign has not been damaged by the greater Los Angeles area wildfires, according to the organization that maintains it.
In a gripping image circulating on Facebook and Instagram, embers surround the Hollywood sign, one of Los Angeles’ most recognizable symbols.
"The iconic Hollywood sign is on fire," read the text in a Jan. 8 Instagram post.
Social media posts shared the image and claimed the sign had been razed by the Los Angeles wildfires, which started Jan. 7, destroying 36,000 acres and killing at least 10 people.
(Screenshot from Instagram)
This Instagram post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)
But that image is fake. As of Jan. 10, the fires had not reached the Hollywood sign, which sits atop Mount Lee.
Featured Fact-check
According to information from Jeff Zarrinnam, chair of the Hollywood Sign Trust, a nonprofit organization responsible for the sign’s maintenance, the sign was not damaged as of 3 p.m. Jan. 9. The trust said Jan. 10 that there was no new information.
And although the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, Hurst, Lidia and Archer fires, all in the greater Los Angeles area, had not been fully contained as of Jan. 10, the Sunset fire, which was near the Hollywood sign, had been 100% contained, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Hollywood Sign Trust called the blazing Hollywood sign image "fake" on Facebook and said the sign "continues to stand tall."
The Associated Press uploaded photos Jan. 9 showing the Hollywood sign intact and untouched by fire.
Siwei Lyu, computer science and engineering professor at University at Buffalo, told PolitiFact the image in the Instagram post was likely created using artificial intelligence. He pointed out that the number of lattices supporting the letter H in the Instagram post’s image did not match the number of lattices shown in a stock photo of the sign.
Emmanuelle Saliba, chief investigative officer of deepfake detection company GetReal Labs, said the company also flagged variations of this claim that used AI-generated images and videos.
We rate the claim that "the iconic Hollywood sign is on fire" False.
Our Sources
Email exchanges with the Hollywood Sign Trust, Jan. 9 and 10, 2025
Email exchange with Emmanuelle Saliba, chief investigative officer of GetReal Labs, Jan. 9, 2025
Email exchange with Siwei Lyu, computer science and engineering professor at University at Buffalo, Jan. 10, 2025
Instagram post (archived), Jan. 8, 2025
Instagram post (archived), Jan. 8, 2025
Facebook post (archived), Jan. 9, 2025
The Hollywood Sign, About the Hollywood Sign Trust, accessed Jan. 9, 2025
Facebook post by Hollywood Sign, Jan. 9, 2025
Associated Press photo, Jan. 9, 2025
Associated Press photo, Jan. 9, 2025
X post, Jan. 9, 2025
X post, Jan. 9, 2025
CNN, Los Angeles wildfires: At least 10 dead and whole neighborhoods destroyed as distraught residents flee, Jan. 10, 2025
CNN, Visualizing the Los Angeles wildfires in maps and charts, Jan. 10, 2025
NPR, Here's where things stand for several major landmarks in the Los Angeles fires, Jan. 9, 2025
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, accessed Jan. 10, 2025
CBS News, Hollywood Hills scorched as Sunset Fire ignites in Los Angeles, Jan. 9, 2025
Business Insider, Before-and-after photos show iconic Los Angeles locations impacted by wildfires, Jan. 9, 2025
Los Angeles Times, Sunset fire 100% contained, evacuation orders lifted in Hollywood, Jan. 9, 2025
Wikimedia Commons, Hollywood Sign (Zuschnitt).jpg, Sept. 11, 2015
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Loreben Tuquero
The Hollywood sign wasn’t on fire as of Jan. 10. This image is fake
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.