Couple face 20 years in prison after gender reveal stunt led to wildfire that killed firefighter

A couple is facing 20 years in prison after their gender reveal stunt led to a wildfire that killed a firefighter.

It was announced on Tuesday, July 20, that Refugio Manuel Jimenez and Angela Renee Jiminez have been charged with involuntary manslaughter relating to the El Dorado wildfire, as per The Sun.

San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson announced the charges at a press conference, Buzzfeed News reports.

The couple went on to plead not guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter, three felony counts of recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury, four felony counts of recklessly causing a fire to inhabited structures, and 22 misdemeanors of recklessly causing fire to property.

They have now been released pending a court appearance on September 20.

Watch a full news report about the charges below: 

The fire was started on September 5 last year when the Jimenez' hosted the party at their El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, which is located at the bottom of the San Bernardino Mountains.

The couple announced the gender of their child with a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device that ended up igniting an area of dry grass when it was set off in a field.

Authorities said that while the couple had initially attempted to put out the blaze with water bottles, the flames were too strong, and they eventually called 911.

Firefighter Charles Morton was killed in the blaze, which went on to rage for months.

Morton, 39, lost his life on September 17 when the leader of the elite Big Bear Interagency Hotshot Squad was working in a remote area where firefighters were cutting breaks became overwhelmed.

Credit: Alamy / Anton Sorokin

Hundreds of people living in the San Bernardino National Forest area were also forced to evacuate because of the blaze, which injured a further 13 people.

Five homes were destroyed in the fire and 16 other buildings were damaged, as well as almost 36 square areas of land were left blackened.

It took until November 16 for the blaze to be contained.

The Sun reports that California saw a record-breaking wildfire season in 2020 that destroyed almost 10,500 buildings and claimed the lives of 33 people.

Wildfires in the state have become increasingly difficult for authorities to tackle because of increasingly dry conditions in the state that are linked to climate change.

Featured image credit: UPI / Alamy