Hollywood

Fake images of the Hollywood sign burning go viral as wildfire misinformation spreads

The landmark is famously located on Mount Lee overlooking the LA basin and is not currently near any of the wildfires burning in LA County.

AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

The Hollywood Sign is seen with smoke from multiple wildfires on January 08, 2025 in Hollywood, California.

Several fake images of the Hollywood sign burning have appeared on social media as some users falsely suggest the iconic sign is "surrounded by fire."

But that is not the case.

Jeff Zarrinnam, chair of the Hollywood Sign Trust, told Forbes magazine that the landmark is so far safe. Zarrinnam said the false posts being shared online were likely AI-generated images and videos.

The sign overlooks Hollywood from Mount Lee, in the Santa Monica Mountains, and is not currently located in an evacuation zone, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Sunset Fire, which started Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills, was on the other side of the 101 Freeway and a significant distance from the sign.

The spread of the Sunset Fire was stopped and all evacuations were lifted.

No fires have been reported in the vicinity of the Hollywood sign

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The now-iconic Hollywood sign read "Hollywoodland" when it was first erected in 1923 as a temporary advertisement for a local real estate development. It was then donated to the city in 1944 and the "LAND" was removed in 1949.

A live stream of the Hollywood sign is available at the trust's site here.

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