Photo does not show ‘Christian’ house spared in Los Angeles wildfire

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AN image showing a white building with a red roof standing intact in a neighbourhood that’s almost fully burnt to ashes has surfaced online with a claim that the house belonged to a Christian during a recent deadly wildfire in Los Angeles, United States.

The photo, among others, have surfaced online with many Nigerians attributing it to the “work of God.” Few others have claimed on social media that the house belonged a Muslim and thus sparking inter-religious chit-chat online.

A Facebook user, Shekinah Glory TV, posted the image with a caption thus:

“The only house that left after wildfire in California.  This is the home of a Christian in Los Angeles, California.

While the houses around him were destroyed by fire, his house remained untouched. God’s promise in Psalm 91:1-6 was fulfilled. You can’t imagine how much he cried for joy, knowing he was protected by God. Truly, God is his refuge.

Psalm 121:7-8:

“The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

The post has garnered over 500 likes and more than 180 comments as of January 17, 2025.

Another Facebook user, Log Cabin posted the image with another caption that read:

“This is the home of a Christian in Los Angeles, California. Read it below…”

The claim has also gone viral on other social media platforms. For instance, an X user, @UtdQween also posted the image with a caption that thus:
“What could have saved this house from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood fire in Los Angeles, California?”
Few news blogs also published the photo alongside the claim on their website as seen here.

CLAIM

Photo shows the house of a Christian spared during Los Angeles wildfire.

 

THE FINDINGS 

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING, as the photo is from a 2023 Hawaii wildfire incident, and unrelated to the Los Angeles wildfire.

Screenshot of one of the viral posts about LA wildfire on social media. INSERT: FALSE verdict.
Screenshot of one of the viral posts about LA wildfire on social media. INSERT: FALSE verdict.

A wildfire in a Los Angeles suburb devoured buildings and sparked panicked evacuations as hurricane-force winds tore through the region in the United States early January this year.

According to Associated Press (AP), the blazes that began on January 7, 2025 destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 25 people, with nearly 30 missing.

Frightened residents abandoned their cars on one of the only roads in and out of the upscale Pacific Palisades area, fleeing on foot from the almost 3,000-acre (1,200-hectare) blaze engulfing an area packed with multimillion-dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fires.

Following the wildfire, an Australian media platform posted the interview of a man who claimed that his house was spared while the rest of the buildings in his neighbourhood were burnt down. This led to the circulation of the misleading image.

However, a Google reverse image search traced the photo to a news report published on August 24, 2023, which highlighted the aftermath of the fire that devastated Lahaina, a town on Hawaii’s Maui Island.

While the wildfire destroyed most of the town, a red-roofed house located at 271 Front Street reportedly remained standing amidst the rubble.

Trip Millikin and his wife, Dora Atwater Millikin, owned the house, which was renovated in 2022 after the couple purchased it in 2021. The house’s survival was credited to measures taken during the renovation, including installing a heavy-gauge metal roof, removing vegetation around the property, and adding river stones.

However, contrary to claims of being untouched, closer analysis revealed signs of damage on the property. A PVC pipe attached to the house melted, and images from news reports showed structural impacts, such as peeling paint, due to the fire.

The wildfire, which occurred on August 8, 2023, claimed more than 100 lives and destroyed at least 2,200 buildings. The viral image was captured by Patrick T. Fallon of AFP via Getty Images on August 10, 2023, two days after the blaze.

 

THE VERDICT

The claim that the photo shows the house of a Christian spared during a Los Angeles wildfire is MISLEADING; the photo was taken in Lahaina, Maui in Hawaii, after an August 2023 wildfire incident.

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Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.

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