An Aug. 15 Instagram post (direct link, archived link) includes a video of victims fleeing the wildfires in Maui.
"You just witnessed the biggest land grab of your lifetime," reads the text in the post.
It goes on to make an array of other claims, about school being canceled, alarms not sounding, phone alert systems not being used, donations being confiscated and officials denying aid to those who were "not compliant."
The post garnered more than 400 likes in five days. Other versions of the post continue to circulate on Instagram.
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The post gets multiple elements of the claim wrong. There is no evidence that the Maui wildfires were intentionally set – as part of a "land grab" effort or otherwise. The cause of the fires has not yet been determined, but officials say red flag conditions and strong winds from nearby Hurricane Dora are likely factors.
Wildfires on Maui, Hawaii’s second largest island, have killed at least 114 people and destroyed upwards of 2,800 structures across the island since Aug. 8.
The blaze – now the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century – prompted Hawaii to declare a state of emergency on Aug. 9.
USA TODAY has previously reported that a combination of weather and climate-related factors created what the National Weather...
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