El Dorado Fire

A gender reveal party turned into a wildfire stretching nearly 10,000 acres across the US state of

California.

A surveillance video reviewed by investigators showed a family in

San Bernardino County celebrating a gender reveal party on Saturday, morning using a pyrotechnic device that started the fire after it ignited. The family tried to douse the growing fire, but to no avail. CalFire investigator Capt. Bennet Milloy told CNN that everyone involved had cooperated. Fire officials refused to release the video. The fire had scorched 9,671 acres since Saturday and was only 7 percent contained by Monday night. Fire officials of the county said it was one of the most dangerous fires seen in the area, which required evacuation as it threatened the homes of many citizens.

Yucaipa Mayor David Avila said during a Monday press conference that this was the largest fire he had ever seen. “As a retired firefighter with 32 years of experience, I can assure you I witnessed one of the most dangerous fires that we can have in this area,” Avila said. Luckily, no injuries or structural damage have been reported.

Fire investigators have identified three law violations until now, including “igniting the land” and arson. Penalties could vary based on the level of recklessness, which will determine whether those are filed as misdemeanors or felonies. Capt. Milloy explained that the person who ignited the pyrotechnic would be the person charged as the district attorney pursues the case. A similar incident happened before in 2017, at a gender reveal party as well in Arizona, igniting a fire that grew to nearly 47,000 acres. The person who ignited it pleaded guilty in 2018 to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay almost $8.2 million in restitution for the damage.