The LA fire enters a new phase of dangerous as sofa sleuths work to decipher chilling ‘HELP’ signs

The risk from fires raging across California is shifting, as rainfall helps to quell the flames, but the danger has in no way ed.

Tens of thousands of new dangers are being calculated by emergency responders and government officials, even as they work to uncover the culprits behind the emergence of several mysterious and chilling signs.

People using Google Maps were among the first to detect the signs, which are situated near where several fires hit hardest in Southern California. Among the largest of the signs, which can be seen both aerially and from the ground, appears to be constructed of wood, and it currently resides on the other side of a barbed wire fence at 905 E Cesar E Chavez Ave in Los Angeles. Other help signs the massive wooden one in scattered nearby areas, including one that a local claims is constructed facing the roadway.

The signs send an alarming signal as Californians continue to grapple with constant environmental danger, first from the fires and now from the rain that initially brought such welcome relief. Risks of flooding, mudslides, and evenfor an already hard-tested group.

The mysterious “help” signs don’t aid rising tensions across the state, as people wonder who erected the signs — and whether or not they got the help they requested. At least 29 people have lost their lives in the fires so far, and it’s not hard to wonder if the person — or people, quite likely — who made the signs were among those in dire situations.

Among locals, thankfully, those concerns are massively reduced, since many who are familiar with the area say those signs are nothing new. While their discovery in the midst of a disaster was certainly stirring, they’ve actually been around awhile, according to people swarming a Reddit share of the signs, and are apparently the result of a uniquely-creative homeless person who frequents the area.

Unfortunately for those of us with an inherent distrust in our government, that explanation leaves plenty to be desired. While its almost certainly true, and it’s good news for those of us concerned about the sign-constructor, its also much less exciting than many people assumed. It’s also “exactly what the serial killer holding hobo Squid Games at that location would say,” so do with that what you will.