The couple whose gender reveal party caused a massive fire in El Dorado, California, back in 2020 has reached a plea agreement.
On September 5, 2020, Refugio Jimenez Jr. and his wife, Angelina, set off a smoke bomb as part of the couple’s gender reveal party at the El Dorado Ranch Park in southern San Bernardino County. When the smoke bomb went off, it set fire to some dry grass, which spread quickly. The couple tried to put out the fire with bottled water, but when that failed, they called authorities to alert them to the situation.
The couple cooperated with the investigation into the fire, which burned nearly 23,000 acres between September 5 and November 16, 2020, and destroyed 20 structures, including homes. The fire also took the life of U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighter Charles Morton and injured two more firefighters, along with 13 other people.
The Jimenezes were charged on July 20, 2021, with involuntary manslaughter and other felony and misdemeanor charges relating to the fire. They initially pleaded not guilty and sought dismissal of the charges, but the courts denied their attempts on two separate occasions.
On February 9, 2024, Refugio pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and two counts of recklessly causing a fire to an inhabited structure. He was sentenced to one year in county jail, two years of probation, and 200 hours of community service, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office said in <a href="https://sbcountyda.org/2024/02/09/el-dorado-case-update/">a press release</a>.
Angelina pled guilty to three misdemeanor counts of recklessly causing fire to property of another and was sentenced to one year summary probation and 400 hours of community service.
In addition, the couple was ordered to pay $1,789,972 to the victims of the fire.
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“Resolving the case was never going to be a win,” District Attorney Jason Anderson said in the press release. “The Defendants’ reckless conduct had tremendous impact on land, properties, emergency response resources, the displacement of entire communities, and resulted in the tragic death of Forest Service Wildland Firefighter Charles Morton. All these factors were given an extraordinary amount of consideration throughout every step of investigation, the Grand Jury process, and court proceedings.”
“To the victims who lost so much, including their homes with valuables and memories, we understand those are intangibles can never be replaced.” Anderson added, “Our hope with this resolution is that it closes a painful chapter in your lives, and the restitution provides a measure of assistance in becoming whole again.”
Refugio will report to jail on February 23.

Firefighters Holding The Line On El Dorado Fire”n

Couple Whose Gender Reveal Party Sparked Massive California Wildfire Sentenced

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A couple conducting a gender reveal event detonated 80 pounds of explosives that shook homes up to 20 miles away, according to police.
&#8220;Cops in Kingston, a New Hampshire town not far from the Massachusetts border, received a flurry of 911 calls from terrified homeowners after shockwaves rattled properties within a 20-mile radius of the Torromeo quarry,&#8221; the Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9503111/Gender-reveal-party-explosion-rocks-US-towns.html">reported</a>.  &#8220;Residents complained that the foundations to their homes were damaged after a family set off 80 lbs of explosives at a nearby quarry on Tuesday evening around 7 p.m.&#8221;
The 80 pounds of Tannerite were covered with blue chalk to create colored smoke to show the expected baby is a boy. While police have talked to those responsible, their names were not released.
One homeowner 20 miles away, Heidi Jordan, <a class="class" href="https://www.unionleader.com/news/safety/big-blast-for-gender-reveal-in-kingston-rocks-homes-miles-away/article_d2fc740d-3d26-5940-a8a1-dd57fbc577d6.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">told</a> The New Hampshire Union Leader, &#8220;I thought for a second that maybe a large dump truck had gone off the road and struck a tree. I also considered that it may have been another minor earthquake.&#8221;
Some local residents also said their tap water turned brown following the explosion, the Union Leader reported.
It&#8217;s not the first mishap with gender reveals.
In February, an expectant father in upstate New York was killed when a device he was constructing for a gender reveal party exploded, according to state police.
Christopher Pekny, 28, was building the device to reveal his child’s gender in the Catskills town of Liberty when it blew up. The blast killed Pekny and injured his brother, Michael, 27, who was treated for his injuries at the Garnet Medical Center in Middletown, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/23/gender-reveal-party-device-explodes-new-york-man-killed/4553453001/">according</a> to USA Today.
“The Robin Hood diner in Livingston Manor, which has been owned and operated by the Pekny family since the 1980s, mourned the loss of Christopher in a statement,” the paper said. “‘We are deeply saddened and must inform you all of the loss of our dear and beloved Christopher,” the family wrote on Facebook. “We appreciate the overwhelming display of love and support that you all have shown.”
Peter Pekny, the two men’s oldest brother, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/22/nyregion/gender-reveal-explosion-ny.html">told</a> The New York Times that the blast was “the freakiest of freak accidents that I could ever imagine.” He also said he didn’t know what caused the explosion, and police released no other details, although similar devices shoot out a pink-or-blue burst to reveal the sex of the baby.
Also in February, a 26-year-old Michigan man died after he was struck by shrapnel from a cannon being used at a baby shower.
And in September 2020, a gender reveal pyrotechnic device ignited a massive wildfire in southern California. A smoke device deployed at the El Dorado Ranch Park in California started a wildfire that burned for 23 days across 22,000 acres and led to the death of a firefighter.
In another accident, debris from a homemade explosive used for a gender reveal struck a woman in Iowa and killed her in October 2019.

Detonator to explode dynamite

Family Sets Off 80 Pounds Of Explosives For Gender Reveal, Rocks Homes 20 Miles Away

New Hampshire

A plane being used for a gender reveal in Mexico plunged into the waters off of Cancun, killing two people on board as the expectant parents and their family and friends looked on in horror.
The group was all on a boat watching the flyover of the plane — streaming a sign announcing the baby is a girl — in the Nichupte Lagoon off the coast, The Sun <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/us-news/2613812/two-pilots-killed-plane-crash-gender-reveal-stunt-wrong/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.
In a video, the group can be heard exclaiming, &#8220;It&#8217;s a girl!&#8221;
But then things turned dark.
&#8220;One of the crowd even joked: ‘It&#8217;s all good as long as it doesn&#8217;t end up crashing into us,’” the Sun reported. &#8220;Seconds later, the joyous mood took a drastic turn as the partygoers noticed the plane take a dramatic nosedive into the water. &#8230; &#8216;Surely this can’t be happening!&#8217; one shocked attendee shouted.&#8221;
The Navy was called to the scene. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, and another person died while receiving first aid. An investigation is underway into the cause of the crash.
It&#8217;s not the first time someone has died in a gender reveal, when family and friends gather to find out the sex of a baby.
An expectant father in upstate New York was killed last month when a device he was constructing for a gender reveal party exploded, according to state police.
Christopher Pekny, 28, was building the device to reveal his child’s gender in the Catskills town of Liberty when it blew up. The blast killed Pekny and injured his brother, Michael, 27, who was treated for his injuries at the Garnet Medical Center in Middletown, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/23/gender-reveal-party-device-explodes-new-york-man-killed/4553453001/">according</a> to USA Today.
“The Robin Hood diner in Livingston Manor, which has been owned and operated by the Pekny family since the 1980s, mourned the loss of Christopher in a statement,” the paper said. “We are deeply saddened and must inform you all of the loss of our dear and beloved Christopher,” the family wrote on Facebook. “We appreciate the overwhelming display of love and support that you all have shown.”
Peter Pekny, the two men’s elder brother, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/22/nyregion/gender-reveal-explosion-ny.html">told</a> The New York Times that the blast was “the freakiest of freak accidents that I could ever imagine.” He also said he didn’t know what caused the explosion, and police released no other details, although similar devices shoot out a pink-or-blue burst to reveal the sex of the baby.
The soon-to-be father was “incredibly close” with his brother Michael and excited to soon be a father, Peter Pekny <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/02/23/gender-reveal-explosion-new-york/">told</a> The Washington Post.
Also last month, a 26-year-old Michigan man died after he was struck by shrapnel from a cannon being used at a baby shower.
And in September 2020, a gender reveal pyrotechnic device ignited a massive wildfire in southern California. A smoke device deployed at the El Dorado Ranch Park in California started a wildfire that burned for 23 days across 22,000 acres and led to the death of a firefighter.
In another accident, debris from a homemade explosive used for a gender reveal struck a woman in Iowa and killed her in October 2019.

Plane shadow

Two Killed When Plane Being Used For Gender Reveal Crashes As Expectant Parents Watch In Horror

A family that held a gender-reveal party near Palm Springs, California, where they allegedly used a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device, may be held financially responsible for the massive damage and subsequent cost of putting the El Dorado Fire out. The device that was reportedly used is often utilized to release blue or pink smoke to indicate the gender of an expected baby.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection issued a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CE0ddK-hHo1/?igshid=d1a7knxin4dc">press release</a> stating:
<blockquote>CAL FIRE Law Enforcement has determined the El Dorado Fire, burning near Oak Glen in San Bernardino County, was caused by a smoke generating pyrotechnic device, used during a gender reveal party. The fire began at 10:23 am on September 5, 2020 in the El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa. The fire spread from the park to the north on to Yucaipa Ridge that separates Mountain Home Village and Forest Falls from the City of Yucaipa. CAL FIRE reminds the public that with the dry conditions and critical fire weather, it doesn&#8217;t take much to start a wildfire. Those responsible for starting fires due to negligence or illegal activity can be held financially responsible and criminally responsible.</blockquote>
The fire has destroyed at least 7,000 acres of land; temperatures reached 122 degrees in Palm Springs on Saturday. The fire threatened Mountain Home Village and Forest Falls. The communities of Oak Glen, Forest Falls and Mountain Home Village had to be evacuated, the <a href="https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/wildfires/2020/09/06/el-dorado-fire-grows-2-727-acres-containment-remains-5/5734173002/">Desert Sun</a> reported.
“The El Dorado Fire is burning just two miles from where the Apple Fire ravaged 33,000 acres last month, and fire officials said it would work to their advantage if the El Dorado Fire entered the burn scar,” the Desert Sun pointed out.
Bennet Milloy, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8704833/El-Dorado-wildfire-burned-7-050-acres-California-started-gender-reveal-party.html">DailyMail.com</a> that the hosts of the party were present at the scene when firefighters arrived, adding, “We know how it started because they were still there. That and the fact that there were surveillance cameras in the park.”
Malloy said the family was potentially civilly and criminally responsible for the fire, which could mean facing jail time and having to pay millions of dollars. He acknowledged speaking to the family, saying that they “understood the seriousness of the fire … They genuinely believed it was an accident. But I think now they understand the gravity of the situation.&#8221;
“Across the whole of California, firefighters are <a href="https://www.fire.ca.gov/daily-wildfire-report/">currently battling 23 wildfires</a>, which have so far destroyed 1.6 million acres. Almost 15,000 firefighters were working to douse the flames, and battling against record temperatures in the state,” the Daily Mail pointed out.
“Since Aug. 15, California has battled 900 wildfires, <a href="https://apnews.com/4cf8eb0bc81266567276c9931796047a" aria-describedby="external-disclaimer">The Associated Press</a> previously reported. Many of the wildfires were started by an intense series of lightning strikes. In total, they have burned 1.5 million acres (2,343 square miles) of land. There have also been eight reported deaths thus far,” People magazine <a href="https://people.com/human-interest/el-dorado-wildfire-started-gender-reveal-party/">noted</a>.

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Couple Whose Gender Reveal Party Sparked Massive California Wildfire Sentenced

Family Sets Off 80 Pounds Of Explosives For Gender Reveal, Rocks Homes 20 Miles Away

Two Killed When Plane Being Used For Gender Reveal Crashes As Expectant Parents Watch In Horror

Family Hosting Gender Reveal Party May Have To Pay Millions For Allegedly Starting CA Fire