A gender reveal party reportedly started one of the several California wildfires over the weekend, BBC News reports.
- Officials said a “smoke-generating pyrotechnic device” ignited the El Dorado Fire, which has raged through 7,000 acres.
- Thousands of people were evacuated from the area as well, The New York Times reports. No injuries or structural damage has been reported.
No criminal charges have been filed against the party hosts, officials told The New York Times. That won’t happen until after the fire has been contained. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection could ask for the responsible parties to reimburse the fire department.
- “I can’t speak on their behalf, but personally, I can only imagine how terrible they have to feel for a lot of reasons.” — Capt. Bennet Milloy of CalFire
The wildfires come as the state experiences a massive heat wave, which has included 121-degree temperatures in Los Angeles.
- The National Weather Service said this is “one of the hottest days since weather records began across much of south-western California.”
Why this might sound familiar:
This has happened several times in the past. The gender-reveal party has been a source of wildfires since there’s often an explosive that reveals the soon-to-be-born baby’s gender.
For example, in 2017, a gender reveal party sparked a wildfire in Arizona that led to 47.000 acres and $8 million in damage, CNN reports.