Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Claim
A mosque remained unscathed by Los Angeles wildfires even as the landscape around it was consumed by the blaze.
The post can be seen here.
Fact
A Google Lens search on the viral visual led us to a report by BBC, dated August 22, 2023, titled “Hawaii wildfires: The red Lahaina house that survived Maui fires.” Carrying an image of the same structure, it stated, “Pictures have gone viral of a single red-roofed home that appears virtually unscathed as the neighbourhood around it has been reduced to piles of ash and rubble from the Maui fires.The 100-year-old wood house on Front Street is still standing as most of the town of Lahaina has been destroyed.”
It further stated that the owners of the house, Trip Millikin and his wife Dora Atwater Millikin, were on a trip to Massachusetts when the incident happened, adding, “Mr Millikin and his wife said they are unsure exactly what saved their home. Two years ago, the couple purchased the 100-year-old property that used to be a bookkeeper’s house for employees of a sugar plantation.”
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Carrying an image of the same “miracle” property, a Honolulu Civil Beat report from August 2023 stated, “The home, known as the Pioneer Mill Co./Lahaina Ice Co. Bookkeeper’s House, is believed to have been moved to Front Street in 1925 from a nearby plantation. For decades, it was used to house management-level employees…Millikin and his wife bought the property in 2021, working with the county on a historic preservation plan before embarking on a nearly two-year renovation project…” The report also discussed possible factors that may have protected the house from the fire.
A recent article by Honolulu Civil Beat delved into the impact of the August 2023 fire on the Millikins. It also featured other images of the house widely dubbed as the “miracle home.”
Further verification led us to a different version of the viral image listed on stick photo website Getty Images. “ An aerial image shows a red roofed house that survived the fires surrounded by destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground in the historic Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui in Lahaina, Hawaii on August 10, 2023…,” its description stated.
Multiple other outlets reported on the viral “miracle house” in Lahaina that survived the 2023 wildfire seemingly unscathed.
Also Read: Viral ‘Leaked Photo’ Claiming To Expose PM Modi’s Residence Is AI-Generated
Hence, an old photo of a house in Lahaina has been falsely shared to show a mosque remained unaffected by Los Angeles wildfires.
Result: False
Sources
Report By BBC, Dated August 22, 2023
Report By Honolulu Civil Beat, Dated August 19, 2023
Getty Images
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
