Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management
Audio By Carbonatix
Nope, Bill Gates and secret data centers in the West Valley didn’t cause that giant smoky plume you’re seeing in the sky west of Phoenix. On Wednesday, the city of Buckeye wanted to make that very clear through cheeky social media posts.
The smoke is from the Hazen Fire, which sparked near Highway 85 on the afternoon of May 2. It has been burning through a highly flammable invasive plant species — tamarisk, also known as salt cedar brush — in the Gila riverbed a mile south of Buckeye. As of Thursday morning, six days into the blaze, the fire is 78% contained and has burned through 1,191 acres, according to the city.
While fire crews continue to fight the fire, the cause remains unknown. But what isn’t causing it, Buckeye clarified Wednesday, is data centers.
In an Instagram post featuring a cartoonified Gates, the city took aim at conspiracy theories. “No, this is not Bill Gates land,” the post reads. “No, there are no secret data centers being built here.” The cartoon Gates points north of the city toward land that he owns, while emoji data centers mark the location of planned developments. In the south, a bold red arrow points to where the Hazen Fire is blazing, significantly to the south of both projects.
“This isn’t a mystery project,” the post continued, “it’s a real fire in a real riverbed, and it’s being met with years of preparation and some incredible work on the ground.”
Conspiracy theories have been swirling online that Bill Gates-owned land, secret data centers or future developments were connected to the fire. The city was “tagged extensively in social media posts and comment threads containing misinformation about the Hazen Fire,” city spokesperson John O’Halloran wrote in an email to Phoenix New Times.
“The motivation behind the post was simple: Misinformation surrounding the Hazen Fire was spreading faster than the wildfire itself,” he added. “We felt it was important to refocus attention on the actual emergency response and provide accurate information to the public.”
In 2017, Gates purchased nearly 25,000 acres of land north of Buckeye to develop a “smart city” named Belmont. The project remains undeveloped. According to the Data Center Map, there are also two areas for planned data center development in Buckeye, but neither is near the location of the fire.
The land where the fire has spread is largely owned by the Maricopa County Flood Control District, the Arizona Game & Fish Commission, the city of Buckeye and several industrial corporations, including concrete company Vulcan Materials.
Despite the city’s attempt to set the record straight, many social media users remain distressingly unconvinced. While some thanked firefighters for their work and shut down the theories, there was still rampant misinformation among the post’s more than 200 comments.
One user argued that the city’s “defense for Bill Gates proves the board is finally in his pocket.” Another user demanded “REAL PROOF” and appeared unconvinced as they repeated the conspiracy theory that “this seems very much man made.”
