Direct Energy weapons exist. They were first deployed in the military in 2014. You can bet when we hear about technology the DOD has they are already 50 years ahead of what they tell us. Whether they have been used to start fires doesn't really matter, but they do exist:

https://news.usni.org/2022/09/14/report-to-congress-on-defense-department-directed-energy-weapons

Direct Energy weapons exist. They were first deployed in the military in 2014. You can bet when we hear about technology the DOD has they are already 50 ahead of what they tell us. Whether they have been used to start fires doesn't really matter, but they do exist:

https://news.usni.org/2022/09/14/report-to-congress-on-defense-department-directed-energy-weapons