Conspiracy Theorists Think Mark Zuckerberg Started Myrtle Beach Wildfires

At least 175 wildfires have been burning in the Carolinas since this past weekend, with one fire near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, burning about 1,600 acres and forcing residents to evacuate, according to CNN. Enormous wildfires are atypical for North and South Carolina, but dry and windy conditions, with gusts over 130 mph, explain why these fires are so difficult to fight. That’s not good enough for conspiracy theorists, of course. X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has been flooded in recent days with conspiracy theories insisting the fires were started by powerful tech figures like Mark Zuckerberg as part of some dastardly attempt to turn Myrtle Beach into a so-called smart city. And while that’s an absurd claim, it’s becoming an extremely common one as climate change creates the ideal conditions for intense fires in very odd places. Right-wing influencer John Sabal, tweeting as The Patriot Voice, insisted that what was happening in Myrtle Beach was so unusu ... Read full article.