A video circulating online shows a prescribed fire conducted by the Arizona Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2017, not “targeted arson” taking place in Rhodes amidst wildfires on the Greek island in July 2023. A similar video was shared by the Arizona Bureau of Land Management on its Facebook and Twitter pages in March 2017 (here), (here). It shows similar vegetation, the same helicopter, and a dangling torch as seen in the video being shared. Dolores A. Garcia, a representative for Bureau of Land Management at the Arizona State Office, said in an email to Reuters that the video being shared on social media does in fact show 2017 heli-torch operations in northwest Arizona. The video shows a prescribed fire operation conducted by the Arizona Bureau of Land Management in 2017.

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Persons: Dolores A, Garcia, ” Garcia, Read Organizations: Arizona Bureau of Land Management, Reuters, Facebook, of Land Management, Arizona State Office, “ Locations: Rhodes, Greece, Arizona, Canada