In today's world it's really on you to apply some critical thought, or get second opinions from people in the domain being discussed if it's over your head.

If someone says "giant space laser is starting forest fires" your first thought should be "that just sounds a bit silly", and then "what is actually starting forest fires in this region?". Chances are a look at the terrain itself, the land management policies and politics, and local crime reports, it'll be fairly obvious why some areas are more prone to fire than other similar areas.