Why do wildfires sometimes leave cars burnt but trees and utility poles intact?

A viral photo showing a burnt car next to a largely intact tree and utility pole is circulating on social media with captions appearing to suggest the damage wasn’t caused by wildfires.

The image shows the burnt out frame of a car next to a tree and utility pole that appear to have been torched by flames but remain standing. Posts on Facebook share the photo with the caption “wildfires do NOT melt cars but spare palm trees sitting 2ft. away”. 

However, four experts we’ve spoken to about this photo have all told us that the damage in the picture is consistent with the damage wildfires can cause. There are several reasons why a car may be more damaged by a wildfire than a nearby tree or utility pole, and this does not mean that the recent fires in Los Angeles were not wildfires. 

The picture is being shared in the aftermath of the dramatic wildfires in Los Angeles which killed at least 25 people and swept through 40,000 acres. 

Although some of the images we’ve seen shared on social media in relation to the Los Angeles fires have not been genuine, this picture appears to be. A photo of the same scene taken from a different angle was also shared by NPR with a caption stating it was taken on 8 January 2025 along the Pacific Coast Highway. Footage similarly showing the same scene was shared on X on 9 January and shows other trees near the car damaged by fire. 

Why would the car be more damaged by the fires?

Dr Douglas Kelley, a land surface modeller at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, told Full Fact: “Wildfires can behave unpredictably, which is why photos of burnt cars next to only partially burnt trees or utility poles often lead to misunderstandings. But there are clear reasons why this happens.

“First, cars and buildings have large, flat surfaces that can catch burning embers. Once a car catches fire, the enclosed interior traps heat—much like an oven, making the flames much hotter.” 

He added that “flammable materials inside—such as plastics, foams, and fabrics—can fuel an intense fire that quickly consumes the vehicle”.

Professor Albert Simeoni, head of the Fire Protection Engineering Department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, told Full Fact that fires in urban areas are mostly spread by “man-made fuels”, like houses, cars and fences, and that embers generated by these fuels can enter cars through windows, from the bottom of the vehicle, or can accumulate along the tyres. 

Professor Niamh Nic Daeid, director of the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee, said: “Closed structures like a building or a car will cause a build up of hot gases and heat making the fire more intense and resulting in greater damage.”

Butch Bernhardt, executive director of Western Wood Preservers Institute, a trade organisation for the wood products industry in western North America, said: “The speed of the fire and the availability of fuel can impact the damage, where some things survive while others burn.” He also pointed to the fact that cars contain “fuel for a fire: gasoline in the tank, plastics and carpets in the interior”.

And what about trees and utility poles?

According to Dr Kelley, many tree species are “naturally equipped to withstand wildfires” because of their water content, which “helps slow down or resist burning”, and thick bark which “acts like a fire blanket shielding the vital inner layers from heat”. 

Professor Daeid told us the surroundings affect what burns, saying: “Trees tend to have high moisture content and so may not be as impacted by fire burning in the open air, where hot gases rise and dissipate easier.”

Professor Simeoni noted that embers that land near trees or utility poles may be “swept away by the wind” or may not be enough to ignite vegetation below if it is sparse or wet.

Moreover, Mr Bernhardt suggested wooden utility poles, as the one in the photo appears to be, may also be protected by the outer layer of wood because it creates an insulating “layer that slows down the combustion of the wood beneath”.

He added: “The preservative in poles is not flammable, so it won’t contribute to extending the burning. Thus, while the pole may be impacted by the fire, it doesn’t supply the fuel to keep it burning until destruction.”

Dr Kelley also noted that “utility poles, while they may look like ordinary wood, are often treated with fire-resistant chemicals that give them added protection”.

Directed energy weapons

Some posts suggest “direct energy weapons” caused the damage instead of the wildfire. Directed energy weapons are systems that use technologies such as lasers and other electromagnetic energy in order to cause disruptive, damaging or destructive effects on equipment or facilities, and they’re being researched in the UK and the US. 

But there is no evidence such weapons were used in Los Angeles. And as discussed above, the damage observed is consistent with wildfires.

Another post claims “LA is a repeat of Lahaina”. Full Fact debunked baseless claims in August 2023 that wildfires in Lahaina in Maui, Hawaii, were started by these weapons. 

Misinformation about significant news stories can spread quickly online. We’ve also recently written about both an image and video supposedly showing flames from the wildfires near the Hollywood sign, which were actually digitally created.