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.

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.

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

A couple in California have pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter after their gender reveal party resulted in a deadly wildfire.

Refugio Jimenez Jr. and Angela Renee Jimenez entered guilty pleas for involuntary manslaughter and other charges related to the El Dorado fire that ravaged Yucaipa, California, in September 2020.

The blaze, ignited during a photo shoot at a ranch park, quickly spiraled out of control when a firework set dry grass ablaze.

Despite frantic efforts to douse the flames with bottled water and an emergency call to 911, the inferno, fueled by strong winds, rapidly spread beyond containment, as reported by the Associated Press.

Tragically, one of the responders battling the wildfire, 39-year-old Charlie Morton, lost his life in the line of duty. The fire consumed over 7,000 acres of land, prompting the evacuation of 3,000 residents, according to CBS.

Following a year-long legal process, the couple faced a litany of charges, including involuntary manslaughter.

On Friday, the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office announced a plea agreement between the defendants and prosecutors, marking a significant step toward closure in the devastating aftermath.

District Attorney Jason Anderson reflected on the gravity of the situation, stating: "Resolving the case was never going to be a win."

He underscored the far-reaching consequences of the defendants' actions, which not only caused extensive damage to land and property but also uprooted entire communities and resulted in the tragic loss of Morton.

Refugio Jimenez Jr. admitted guilt to a charge of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of recklessly causing a fire in an inhabited structure, all felony offenses.

As part of the plea deal, he will serve a one-year jail term, followed by two years of probation, and undertake 200 hours of community service.

Angela Renee Jimenez pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of recklessly causing fire to property. She was sentenced to a year of summary probation and ordered to perform 400 hours of community service.

In addition to their legal penalties, the couple must pay $1,789,972 in restitution to the victims, acknowledging the immense financial and emotional toll their actions bring.

This isn't the first time a gender reveal party has ended in disaster after a couple dyed the 59-foot Cachoeira Queima-Pé waterfall blue for the occasion.

The couple's jubilant guests cheered as dark blue-dyed water cascaded down the waterfall behind them, accompanied by the release of blue powder cannons.

While intended as a joyous occasion, the spectacle drew sharp criticism from viewers, who explained the environmental impact of dyeing a natural wonder like a waterfall.

In response to the environmental outcry, Mato Grosso's Environment Protection Agency (SEMA) swiftly intervened, labeling the act as an "environmental infraction." The agency stressed the prohibition against introducing substances harmful to the environment into natural water sources.

Following a thorough investigation, SEMA levied a fine of 10,000 Brazilian reals (approximately $1,933) on a relative of the couple held responsible for the stunt.

The investigation revealed the use of "Blue Lake," a chemical product employed for dyeing bodies of water and swimming pools, during the gender reveal party.

Featured image credit: The Washington Post/Getty

A wildfire in California that has grown to more than 7,000 acres was started during a gender reveal party, officials say.

The El Dorado Fire in San Bernardino County confirmed that the fire was started by a "smoke generating pyrotechnic device" used during a gender reveal party, Cal Fire said in a news release posted to Instagram.

"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." The statement reads.

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The Cal Fire incident website indicates that the fire has since spread to cover 7,050 acres, as of Monday morning.

The communities of Oak Glen, Yucaipa Ridge, Mountain Home Village and Forest Falls have received evacuation orders, CNN reports. Meanwhile, an evacuation warning is in place for the Yucaipa bench area, with the Yucaipa Community Center being used as a temporary evacuation facility.

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According to the Cal Fire website, more than 500 personnel have been deployed to the scene of the blaze, including four helicopters and 60 engines.

The Lieutenant of the Emergency Operations Division at San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department tweeted a video that shows plumes of smoke billowing out of trees.

"Fire is now 7050 acres with 5% containment. Still encroaching on the Oak Glen area & eastern Yucaipa. Evacuation orders extended to everything East of Bryant down to Yucaipa Blvd. Multiple SBSD Stations sending personnel to assist with evacuations." The tweet reads.

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An update on the weather overnight posted to Twitter by the San Bernardino National Forest Twitter account reads:

"Weather will remain dry/hot throughout night w/an elevated temp + relative humidity at 20%. Winds will remain downslope at 3-5 mph w/gusts to 10. This will result in continued active fire behavior throughout the night".

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Per CNN, no charges have yet been announced in the blaze.

All right, couples, I know you're excited about having babies, but maybe you should hold back on the gender reveal parties. They're getting a little out of control. At first, you were revealing the gender with frosted cupcakes and helium balloons. Now you're using live alligators chomping on Jell-O filled watermelons. And one Arizona man's gender reveal party went so wrong, he accidentally ignited a 47,000 acre wildfire.

The party occurred on April 23, 2017. Dennis Dickey, a 37-year-old border patrol agent, threw the event in the Coronado National Forest. The plan was to fire his rifle at a target, which would explode with pink or blue powder. It sounds like pretty awesome way to reveal your baby's gender. (No offense, frosted cupcakes and helium balloons.)

However, the proud father-to-be also added Tannerite to the mix. Tannerite is a mixture of ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder that bursts into vapor with a loud noise when hit with a bullet. To use a technical term, it makes things more explodey. The substance is legal, but when Dickey blasted the target, sparks flew into the dry brush nearby. This started the devastating Sawmill fire.

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According to court documents, Dickey "immediately reported the fire to law enforcement, cooperated, and admitted that he started the fire." But despite his effort to fight the flames, the scorching inferno could not be controlled. The Sawmill fire burned for almost two weeks, fueled by the perfect combination of parched grassland and powerful winds.

Luckily, the blaze didn't destroy any buildings, but dozens of residents were forced from their homes. It took 800 firefighters to extinguish the flames, which caused $8 million in damages. $8,188,069, to be exact. (Most expensive gender reveal party ever.)

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Last Friday, Dickey pleaded guilty to starting the massive wildfire. "It was a complete accident," he told the judge. "I feel absolutely horrible about it. It was probably one of the worst days of my life." (And it was supposed to be one of his happiest.)

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According to the US Justice department, he will pay $220,000 in restitution; an initial payment of $100,000, followed by a payment of $500 a month for the next 20 years. Dickey's attorney, Sean Chapman, stated he will borrow money from his retirement fund to make the payments. In addition, the 37-year-old is sentenced to five years of probation, and will take part in a public service announcement for the Forest Service. (I hope Smokey The Bear says, "Only you can prevent gender reveal parties.)

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And after all this, Dickey has not released the gender his baby. You know what means - time to throw another gender reveal party! Just kidding. Maybe Twitter user @jordanrubiks said it best: "a gender reveal party where its just you and your partner in a doctors office and you ask your doctor what the gender of your baby is and then they tell you and then you go home."

What's the most damage you've ever caused at a party? I don't want to sound like someone from the Rolling Stones, but I feel like I've managed to trash a fair few properties while in a drunken state over the years. I once woke up after a night of heavy boozing to find that my living room wall had holes in it, as a result of someone taking a hockey stick to the plaster. On another occasion, somebody at a party I was at managed to (somehow) leave scorch marks all over their carpet. We never found out where those came from.

However, last year Border Patrol agent Dennis Dickey inadvertently managed to start a 47,000-acre wildfire in the state of Arizona, as a result of him throwing a gender-reveal party for his new baby. Ordinarily, you'd expect a new dad to gather a few friends round at the house, have a few drinks, maybe even a game of Twister. However, Dickey made the unconventional decision to detonate a target containing tannerite by shooting at it ... in a field of dry grass. Yeah; if you can't imagine what happened next then you're probably just as clueless as he is.

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The US Forest Service has now released a video of the accident, which is currently circulating on social media.  Shot on April 23, 2017, the footage shows a target with "Girl"  and "Boy" written on it. There is then a loud gunshot, and then the target explodes in a cloud of blue smoke which immediately ignites the surrounding bushland. The flames from this intense explosion then spread to the nearby Coronado National Forest, where they became the Sawmill Fire.

The Sawmill Fire ultimately ended up causing $8,200,000 in damage and took 800 firefighters a week to get under control. Luckily, nobody was hurt or injured, and nobody's home was destroyed. In federal court, Dickey pled guilty to charges of causing a fire without a permit, and was sentenced to pay $220,000 in restitution. He will begin by paying $100,000, and then $500 a month for the next 20 years. He has also agreed to appear in a public service announcement to ensure that nothing like this occurs in future.

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Sadly, the wildfires in California have been far more devastating this year, and have caused untold damage to a number of properties in the state; destroying lives and livelihoods in the process. According to figures provided by the  California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, 2018's season is now officially the most destructive on record, with over 7,000 fires having so far been recorded over an area of approximately 1,667,855 acres. It's now been estimated that the wildfires have caused $2.9 billion in damages.

After evading the police for 33 days, a California woman who is accused of murdering her wife has been apprehended by the authorities.

Yolanda Marodi stands accused of fatally stabbing her wife, California fire captain Rebecca “Becky” Marodi, per NBC News.

Yolanda, 53, was located on March 22 at a hotel in Mexicali, just 2.3 miles south of the U.S. border, Mexican officials confirmed in a statement released Saturday.

The Baja California Citizen Security Secretariat (SSCBC) said cooperation and information exchange with U.S. authorities led to her arrest.

She was later transferred to the border with help from Mexico’s National Institute of Migration and turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service at a U.S. port of entry, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Thirty-three days earlier, on February 17, Yolanda was seen on home security footage allegedly chasing her wife, Rebecca, across their patio in Ramona, California, while holding a knife.

The footage reportedly captured Rebecca pleading: “Yolanda! Please…! I don’t want to die,” as blood ran down her back.

According to the affidavit, Yolanda — with blood visible on her arms — responded: “You should have thought about that before.”

Rebecca’s mother, who lived with the couple, called 911 after finding her daughter with multiple stab wounds to her neck, chest, and abdomen. Authorities tried to save her life, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say Yolanda was caught on camera changing clothes, packing luggage and pets into her silver Chevrolet Equinox, and fleeing the home.

That same night, she crossed the border into Mexico, about 45 miles south of Ramona, according to Homeland Security records cited in the affidavit.

An arrest warrant for Yolanda was issued on February 21, charging her with murder.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office stated that homicide investigators are continuing to determine the exact circumstances and motive behind Rebecca’s death.

However, texts allegedly sent by Yolanda help shed light on what may have led up to the fatal altercation.

“Becky came home and told me she was leaving me,” Yolanda allegedly wrote to an acquaintance the day after Rebecca’s death, according to the arrest warrant, per PEOPLE.

The texts allegedly continued: “She met someone else, all the messages were lies. We had a big fight, and I hurt her... I’m sorry.”

The affidavit further supports the sequence of events, noting that security video recorded Rebecca begging Yolanda to call 911.

Instead, Yolanda reportedly told her to go back inside before driving off hours later.

This isn’t the first time Yolanda Marodi has faced violent charges.

From 2004 to 2013, she served time in prison for manslaughter in connection with the stabbing death of her then-husband, James J. Olejniczak Jr., according to NBC 7.

Rebecca, 49, was a beloved captain with Cal Fire, having started her firefighting career as a volunteer in 1993. She worked with Cal Fire for more than three decades and was promoted to captain in 2022.

Following Yolanda’s arrest, Cal Fire issued a statement to NBC 7: “CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department is aware that Yolanda Marodi was apprehended.

"We thank our law enforcement partners in San Diego and Mexico for their hard work. Becky was a beloved member of our community and Department, and we miss her greatly.”

Featured image credit: Cal Fire / Riverside County Fire Department