Oregon officials are unhappy that false rumors about the origin of at least one of the state's out-of-control fires that have forced a tenth of the population of Oregon to evacuate their homes was started by six members from the group Antifa.

It is NOT true.

Despite it being fake news, that hasn't stopped it from spreading like, ahem, wildfire.

Medford Police
Medford Police
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Medford Police say:

This is a made up graphic and story. We did not arrest this person for arson, nor anyone affiliated with Antifa or “Proud Boys” as we’ve heard throughout the day. Also, no confirmed gatherings of Antifa which has also been reported.

Please flag or ignore this post if you see it.

Thank you

It appears the rumor began with a doctored Facebook post from the Medford Police Department Wednesday, claiming arrests were made in connection with a string of fires.

The rumor appeared to have taken a life of its own in nearby Douglas County, where the sheriff's office reported the county's 911 dispatchers were "being overrun with requests for information and inquiries" on the unsubstantiated arson and arrests.

On Friday, the FBI released a statement that extremists did not start the Oregon wildfires.

"FBI Portland and local law enforcement agencies have been receiving reports that extremists are responsible for setting wildfires in Oregon. With our state and local partners, the FBI has investigated several such reports and found them to be untrue. Conspiracy theories and misinformation take valuable resources away local fire and police agencies working around the clock to bring these fires under control. Please help our entire community by only sharing validated information from official sources."

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