Phoenix’s wildfire risk linked to climate change and invasive plants, not Bill Gates

Scientists say metro Phoenix is more likely to experience wildfires than it once was, and a social media user claimed Microsoft Corp. co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has something to do with it.

"You can't make this stuff up. So Bill Gates wants to build a smart city in Arizona, called Belmont," a March 4 Facebook post’s narrator said, telling viewers that Gates bought 25,000 acres of land west of Phoenix with other billionaires.

"Now there's been an increased risk of wildfires in the areas surrounding the proposed sites, and you guessed it, now insurance companies are starting to cancel wildfire policies in the areas. Sounds familiar to something else," the narrator said as the words "L.A." and "Maui" flashed above his head. The video referenced multiple news articles but misinterpreted their content. 

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The Facebook video cited an Axios article with information about climate risk firm First Street’s report that more than half of Phoenix properties are at risk of being affected by wildfires in the next 30 years, in part because of shifting wind patterns brought about by climate change.

Scientists and researchers also told Axios that metro Phoenix has vulnerabilities similar to those that contributed to wildfires in Maui and the Los Angeles area. Those risk factors include climate change and highly flammable invasive plants.

However, there’s no credible evidence to link Arizona’s increased wildfire risk to a subsidiary of Gates’ asset management company’s purchase of land around 50 miles west of Phoenix. 

In 2017, media reported that a Gates-linked investment firm, Mt. Lemmon Holdings, spent $80 million on a 24,800-acre property named Belmont located just outside Buckeye, Arizona.

Mt. Lemmon Holdings is controlled by Cascade Investment LLC, which invests Gates’ money, Arizona Central reported. 

Gates’ office referred PolitiFact to Cascade Investment LLC, which declined to comment. 

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A press release on the investment read, "Belmont will create a forward-thinking community with a communication and infrastructure spine that embraces cutting-edge technology, designed around high-speed digital networks, data centers, new manufacturing technologies and distribution models, autonomous vehicles and autonomous logistics hubs." The developers do not call it a "smart city," but it generally meets the description. 

PolitiFact looked at a satellite image of the Belmont area, based on a map published by the Arizona State University, and found it remains mostly vacant.

The term "smart city" generally encompasses cities that use technology to operate more efficiently, such as to improve traffic flow, adding sensors and cameras and creating apps to facilitate communication between residents and the city.

PolitiFact has debunked several conspiracy theories that falsely linked smart city plans to wildfires including those in Maui, Los Angeles, South Carolina and Canada. 

We rate the claim that Phoenix’s increased wildfires risk is linked to Gates’ "smart city plans" False.