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Fire officials battle rumors along with raging wildfires
SEATTLE (AP) — Emergency responders in the Pacific Northwest are fighting rumors along with raging wildfires as people spread unsubstantiated social media posts blaming arsonists from both the far left and far right for setting the blazes.
A sheriff’s office and a firefighter’s union in Washington state are among the officials who turned to Facebook this week to squash competing narratives.
Some posts have blamed far-left antifa activists and others singled out the far-right group the Proud Boys as being responsible for the fires scorching wide swaths of Oregon and Washington state.
The false claims come as left- and right-wing groups have clashed during protests in the Northwest, particularly in Portland, Oregon.