“Los Angeles. The most beautiful picture for today. Fact,” reads the caption of a photo shared on Facebook on January 14, 2025.

The remainder of the caption lists what it claims to be 10 unknown facts about electric car company Tesla.

The post contains two photos with text superimposed on them reading “Before” and “After”.

The first image shows tall buildings, while the second shows what appear to be the same skyscrapers engulfed in flames.

Image

Screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on February 20, 2025

The photos have been shared elsewhere in posts on X, Instagram and TikTok.

The Palisades and Eaton fires in Southern California's Los Angeles County were the most destructive in the history of the second-largest US city, burning more than 37,000 acres (150 square kilometres) and over 10,000 homes, causing damage estimated to cost hundreds of billions of dollars (archived here).

The fires began on January 7, 2025, and were contained after burning for three weeks.

However, the image of burning buildings does not show the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires.

AI-generated image

Using the names of the buildings in the first image, such as the TCW Tower, we traced the location to downtown Los Angeles, an area popular for its skyscrapers and iconic landmarks like the Staples Center (now renamed Crypto.com Arena) where the Grammys are held.

While some Los Angeles landmarks were burnt in the wildfires, those in the downtown area were not affected (archived here).

The...

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