Homeless People Cause Most L.A. Fires

Yesterday, I read a shocking headline in Newsweek:

But by the time I read the first sentence, my shock turned to skepticism. The article mentioned Tucker Carlson – a name that seems to short-circuit journalists’ brains.

After a radical investigation technique – actually watching Tucker’s show – I immediately realized that Newsweek’s quoted words “Started by Satanic Meth Heads” were complete fiction. No one said it except the headline writer.

While the article wasn’t quite as dishonest as its headline, it existed solely to paint Tucker and journalist Michael Shellenberger as nutters. The reality? They discussed an uncomfortable truth the liberal press keeps buried: homeless people, especially those on meth, start an astronomical number of fires.

The numbers are staggering. According to an NBC report last year which dug into fire department statistics, there were 13,909 homeless fires in Los Angeles in 2023. That’s 38 fires every day.

In Los Angeles, 54% of all fires are associated with the homeless.

Since 2017, fires linked to homelessness have caused $185 million in damage, representing 22% of all fire damage in the city. And those are just the ones they can confirm.

Most start by accident. Picture people battling mental illness and drug addiction, living outdoors, stealing electricity, and cooking or warming themselves with whatever burns. Then factor in makeshift meth labs, which have a nasty habit of exploding.

But meth adds another twisted dimension: it can make you want to burn down. A large number experience psychosis, which can lead to paranoid and delusional behavior, and one of those behaviors is arson. Studies show meth users are 900% more likely to commit violent crimes compared to non-users.

I’m not saying that’s what caused the recent fires. Neither did Tucker Carlson or Michael Shellenberger, despite Newsweek’s misreporting it as the latest “conspiracy theory.”

Shellenberger did use the word “satanic”, however. Given L.A.’s willful tolerance to this hellish situation, that description is quite fitting.

Ken LaCorte writes about censorship, media malfeasance, uncomfortable questions, and honest insight for people curious how the world really works. Follow Ken on Substack