A devastating wildfire in California, which has already forced the evacuation of 3,000 residents and burned over 7,000 acres of land was reportedly started by gender reveal party gone wrong.
According to a statement by The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the wildfire was caused by ‘a smoke generating device, used during a gender reveal party.’ The fire initially started over the weekend of September 4 but quickly spread north up to Yuicapa Ridge, located in the San Bernardino National Forest.
#ElDoradoFire | SAN BERNARDINO/ INYO/ MONO UNIT |
El Dorado Fire Cause pic.twitter.com/PNBQWMXMwK— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) September 7, 2020
The device used was likely a pyrotechnic machine, commonly used in the entertainment industry to produce visible or audible effects like smoke by combustion, deflagration, or detonation.
Surprisingly, this isn’t the first gender reveal party to go up in flames. According to CNN, a gender reveal party in Arizona in April 2017 sparked a blaze that burned over 40,000 acres of land. This resulted in Dennis Dickey, an off-duty US Border Patrol agent who started the fire having to pay over $8 million in restitution.
There are currently at least 22 other large fires burning in California, all of which are constantly being fueled by dry, windy conditions are record breaking high temperatures, according to CNN. This has resulted in a Public Safety Power Shutoff across 22 counties in Northern California. Full restoration of power is scheduled to return on the evening of Wednesday, September 9.
For Public Safety due to Severe Weather, PG&E has Begun Process of Turning Off Power in High Fire-Threat Areas – Strong Winds Expected to Last Through Early Wednesday Morning https://t.co/AOlcxoOAy8 pic.twitter.com/1SdvuxH6FE
— PG&E (@PGE4Me) September 8, 2020
‘The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously. Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire,’ said Randy Moore, Regional Forester for the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region.
Image credit: Unsplash
