Is the Hollywood sign on fire? Beloved Los Angeles landmark rumoured to be on fire - where is it located, what is it made of, who owns it?

Witnesses posted pictures of the sign on fire on X, formerly Twitter. It comes after a state of emergency was declared in Los Angeles on Wednesday (8 January) and the announcement that five people have been killed from the wildfires.

One user on X posted today (Thursday 9 January) saying “Breaking: Hollywood sign is on fire” while another user also posted saying “Hollywood sign is on fire!”. Both tweets appear to show the famous sign ablaze.

However, many users have also took to the internet to clarify that these images are fake and is ‘AI-generated’ as the AI watermark is visible. Several other people have taken to X to share that the sign is still in tact, in its original form and has not yet been affected by the wildfires.

One user wrote: “The Hollywood sign is not on fire, even though a new fire has started. Numerous news accounts and other pages are sharing fake AI-generated images claiming otherwise.” The user accompanied the post with live pictures of the Hollywood sign not on fire.

The Hollywood sign is located on Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills area. It was originally made out of corrugated steel and has been mounted on a metal frame. The original sign was made out of wood and steel in 1923.

In 1978, the sign was replaced with a new, more durable, all-steel structure. The new letters were made of steel girder beams and corrugated sheet metal. The sign was also given concrete footings.

The sign is owned by multiple entities, including The City of Los Angeles who owns the land where the sign stands, The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce who owns the trademark rights for the sign's image, which can be used for commercial purposes for a licensing fee and The Hollywood Sign Trust - a non-profit organization that maintains, repairs, and improves the sign. A new, sixth, blaze erupted in Hollywood Hills on Wednesday night, prompting further evacuation orders.

The Palisades Fire is now the most destructive LA has seen, burning more than 15,000 acres, while the Eaton Fire has scorched some 10,600 acres. The fires intensifying does mean that the Hollywood sign is at risk - but currently it is not ablaze.