image shared on facebook It claims to be displaying a church that supposedly survived the recent fires in California.
Verdict: False
A content detection scan using the website ‘Hive Moderation’ found that there was a 98.6% chance that the image was generated by artificial intelligence (AI). An AI expert emailed us to confirm the fact that the image was not real.
Fact check:
Firefighters have extinguished “52% of the Palisades fire” and “81% of the Eaton fire,” the fire department said. forbesquoted Cal Fire. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit California on Friday, the newspaper said.
A Facebook image purports to show a church that supposedly survived the recent fires in California. In the image, the church appears to be surrounded by the remains of a fire. A cloud of smoke can also be seen in the background. Images other than Facebook circulated in Xwhich has garnered over 5 million views at the time of writing.
That claim is false. a Content detection scan Using the website Hive Moderation, we can see that there is a 98.6% chance that this image was generated by AI. According to the results of the same scan, this image may have been generated using the AI ​​programs Stable Diffusion, Flux, or Midjourney.
Screenshot captured via Hive moderation
Similarly, “Check the facts” did not find the referenced image. Trustworthy news reporting Regarding the recent fires in California. In fact, the opposite is true. both news checker and Digital Forensics, Research and Analysis Center (DFRAC) We debunked this claim that the images were generated by AI. (Related: Video of man saving rabbit from Los Angeles fires was filmed in 2017, not 2025)
Additionally, Dr. Walter Shirer, an AI expert at the University of Notre Dame, emailed to confirm the fact that the image is not real.
“This image is very likely the product of a generative AI algorithm. Because it looks somewhat realistic, we performed technical analysis using a collection of state-of-the-art generative AI detection algorithms. , this image has a very high probability that AI Additionally, this image was not published by any professional news media or official sources; it has only been circulated online in social media posts, most of which are outside the United States. It’s from an account that claims to come from,” Shirer said.
This image was generated by AI, but recent fires in California reportedly destroyed several houses of worship, including the Jewish Temple and Center in Pasadena. Associated Press. At least 27 people died as a result of the natural disaster. outlet Reported.
Check Your Fact has reached out to AI experts for comment.
