 So the entire West Coast right now is being ravaged by wildfires and we have the worst air quality in the world But there's a bigger menace that some people in the Pacific Northwest are worried about Antifa because apparently there have been rumors as well as doctored images online of Supposed members of antifa starting fires committing acts of arson to loot But of course, this is not true But the rumors and the hoax has become such an issue that law enforcement has now had to come out and publicly say this is not true Stop calling 911 about this because it's not happening. So for more on this story We go to Robert Mackie of the intercept to explains four police departments in parts of Oregon ravaged by wildfires Propelled by high winds across parched land during hot dry weather in a changing climate are pleading with the public to stop calling 911 To pass on unfounded rumors that anti-fascist political activists have intentionally set the blazes the false claims have been spread on Social networks by supporters of President Donald Trump who has spent months pretending that anti-fascists in the Pacific Northwest Dedicated to confronting white supremacists are members of an imaginary army of domestic terrorists called antifa Primed by that fear mongering the president supporters have fallen hard for internet rumors and hoaxes falsely claiming that Anti-fascist arsonists have been caught in the act rumors spread just like wildfire and now our 911 dispatchers and professional staff are being Overrun with requests for information and inquiries on an untrue rumor that six anti-fa members have been arrested for setting fires The Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Rosenberg, Oregon wrote on Facebook on Thursday. This is not true Unfortunately people are spreading this rumor and it is causing problems the Jackson County Sheriff's Office in southwestern Oregon was also forced to respond To the spread of rumors on Thursday one increasingly problematic issue related to the disastrous fires in Jackson County Is the spreading of false information the sheriff's office wrote on Facebook? We are inundated with questions about things that are fake stories One example is a story circulating that varies about what group is involved as to setting fires and arrests being made This is not true police officers in the badly hit city of Medford also had to take time away From responding to the crisis to debunk a hoax Facebook post Mocked up to look like it had come from their department which claimed that they had arrested five arsonists based on anonymous tips This is a made-up graphic and story that apartment wrote on its real Facebook page next to an image of the fake one We did not arrest this person for arson nor anyone affiliated with anti-fault or Proud Boys as we've heard throughout the day Also no confirmed gatherings of anti-foul which has also been reported on Friday the federal Bureau of Investigation Also issued a statement calling on the public to stop spreading misinformation related to wildfires The FBI's Portland office wrote that it too has been receiving reports that extremists are responsible for setting wildfires in Oregon Now I shouldn't have to remind people about this but anti-foul is not the enemy Anti-foul means anti-fascist they are against white supremacists They try to protect marginalized communities who are vulnerable from far-right violence It's the far-right militias the gunmen the armed vigilantes who are the enemies who are actually posing a threat to people who Actually do violence and kill people not anti-foul and If we're trying to figure out what anti-fouls activity is throughout the course of this crisis Well one person from PDX seems to be really thrilled with what they're doing Helping people he writes anti-foul is running around Portland today organizing supply runs for refugee support Raising funds for mutual aid arranging for lodging support crafting DIY air filters and so on truly some of the best people I've ever known absolute heroes he goes on to add a lot of people in my network probably have their views of anti-foul Shaped by Facebook memes or the nightly news and have a low opinion of them these sources couldn't be more misleading I am anti-foul and so are my friends and we're doing work to keep our community safe So that's what the anti-fascists are doing. They're not setting fires so they can loot. They're trying to help people Organize supply runs help members of their community. It's the white supremacist Malicious that we should be concerned with not anti-foul But people don't seem to realize the threat that armed vigilantes pose But hopefully this story does show how threatening they are because this hoax has led to vigilantes harassing journalists and some Oregonians at gunpoint in the name of Stopping looting so as people try to flee and evacuate because 10% of Oregonians have been displaced you have armed thugs stopping them Because they might be anti-foul members trying to go Into their towns to do looting or arson So as a local ABC News affiliate reports suspicions of looting have driven some residents of an Oregon County to illegally stop Unfamiliar drivers at gunpoint all while much of the county is under an evacuation order as wildfires rage Clackham's County Sheriff Craig Roberts said several people in the county in efforts to protect property had been conducting armed checkpoints Stopping cars. They didn't recognize the first thing I'd asked them to do is please stop that Roberts said during a Sunday news conference It is illegal to stop somebody at gunpoint. The sheriff's office has already reached out to a number of them He said many of the people re-entering the area were going back to retrieve their personal belongings The last thing I want to see is anything tragically happened because somebody is overreacting to something he said So this hoax has led to far right Vigilantes trying to police people in order to stop anti-foul when anti-foul is not doing anything There's no evidence that they are committing arson All that we know about anti-foul related to the wildfires is that they're trying to help people now I don't know what's more scary to people Anti-fascists or armed thugs stopping you in your vehicles because they think you're anti-foul like which do you believe personally poses a bigger Threat to you because maybe I'm crazy, but it's not the anti-fascists. It's the people with the guns But on top of that this hoax has whipped people into such a frenzy that they're literally putting their own lives at risk Because they're worried about anti-foul ABC news continues as of Friday There were at least five wildfires burning in Clackamas County including the major Riverside and Beachy Creek fires Most of the county is under an evacuation order But some residents living in those evacuation zones aren't leaving their homes and are instead staying to defend their property Residents have crafted homemade signs lining wire fences and hazy yellow-tinged streets all warning looters that they would be shot Looters get shot many of them threaten So we live in a world where people are literally more afraid about a non-existent threat then actual fires destroying their homes and I mean, I'm sorry, but if you are more worried about Antifa looters That don't even exist then the fire that is threatening your entire life and your town. I Don't know what to say about that. You're just you're not very bright. You're not very bright So this hoax is It's damaging because these types of hoaxes even though they exist and originate on the internet and Facebook They still have real-world consequences when you say that Antifa is doing X because you personally are afraid of them Or you want to spread misinformation that leads to people taking action that could lead to violence potentially armed thugs Take to the streets to set up illegal checkpoints to police people because they may or may not be Anti-fascist like anyone who's a reasonable person should by default be against fascism But people who are against fascism that organize and confront white supremacists apparently They're the bad guys and not the white supremacists that they confront It's just a bizarro world that we live in where during this crisis that we're experiencing people are more afraid of Antifa based on nothing based on bogus information that's Circulating through social media spread by right-wing pundits and also spread by some Republican party politicians who ran for office in Oregon So it's disturbing and this is why you have to combat this type of misinformation Vocally because it's not just bad because it's you know misinforming people It's it's dangerous because it has real-world consequences and we're seeing that play out here in Oregon