A California wildfire in San Bernardino County was started by a gender reveal party over the weekend. It has since destroyed 7,050 acres of land, as of early Monday morning.
The incident occurred on Saturday and spread for several hours from the El Dorado Ranch Park north, onto the Yucaipa Ridge. Over 500 people from 10 fire crews arrived to fight the fire that started around 10:23 am.
By Sunday night, amid record temperatures of 121 degrees, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection revealed that a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device sparked the fire. According to Daily Mail, the device is often used to release smoke to announce the gender of a baby.
“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,” the Department wrote in a statement.
“We know how it started because they were still there,” Bennett Milloy, a spokesperson for the Department, added of the people hosting the party. “That, and the fact that there were surveillance cameras in the park.”
Milloy said the gathering was relatively small, but all parties involved could be both civilly and criminally responsible for the fire, facing prison time and a large fine.
“They understood the seriousness of the fire,” Milloy said of the family. “They genuinely believed it was an accident. But I think now they understand the gravity of the situation,” he said, adding that the family could be responsible for the cost of putting the fire out, the cost of firefighters, engines, planes, and more, in addition to charges related to arson.
