California couple charged in deadly wildfire sparked by gender reveal gone wrong Share Updated: 9:33 PM MDT Jul 20, 2021 Associated Press Share Updated: 9:33 PM MDT Jul 20, 2021
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The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Share Updated: 9:33 PM MDT Jul 20, 2021 Associated Press A couple whose gender reveal ceremony sparked a Southern California wildfire that killed a firefighter last year were charged with involuntary manslaughter, authorities announced Tuesday.Refugio Manuel Jimenez Jr. and Angela Renee Jimenez pleaded not guilty Monday to charges involving the El Dorado Fire, San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson announced at a news conference.The charges included one felony count of involuntary manslaughter, along with other felony and misdemeanor counts related to the fire.The El Dorado Fire erupted on Sept. 5 when the couple and their youn
Last Updated Tuesday, July 20, 2021 9:45PM EDT SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) - A couple whose gender reveal ceremony sparked a Southern California wildfire that killed a firefighter last year were charged with involuntary manslaughter, authorities announced Tuesday. Refugio Manuel Jimenez Jr. and Angela Renee Jimenez pleaded not guilty Monday to charges involving the El Dorado Fire, San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson announced at a news conference. The charges included one felony count of involuntary manslaughter, along with other felony and misdemeanor counts related to the fire. The El Dorado Fire erupted on Sept. 5 when the couple and their young children staged a baby gender reveal at El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains.
The fire killed firefighter Charles Morton - who was a San Diego native - last September.
Credit: AP
In this Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, file photo, a burned structure is seen at a wildfire in Yucaipa, Calif. A couple’s plan to reveal their baby’s gender at a party went up in smoke Saturday at El Rancho Dorado Park in Yucaipa, when a pyrotechnical device they used sparked a wildfire that has burned thousands of acres. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File) Author: Associated Press, CBS News 8 Team Published: 6:40 PM PDT July 20, 2021 Updated: 6:40 PM PDT July 20, 2021
The San Bernardino County district attorney said Refugio Manuel Jimenez Jr. and Angela Renee Jimenez pleaded not guilty Monday to charges involving the El Dorado Fire which started Sept. 5, 2020 and burned over 22,000 acres.
Couple charged in Southern California wildfire sparked by gender reveal
Fire killed firefighter and San Diego native Charles Morton
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Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP
FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, file photo, a helicopter prepares to drop water at a wildfire in Yucaipa, Calif. A coupleâs plan to reveal their babyâs gender at a party went up in smoke Saturday at El Rancho Dorado Park in Yucaipa, when a pyrotechnical device they used sparked a wildfire that has burned thousands of acres. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)
and last updated 2021-07-21 08:54:42-04
A smoke-generating pyrotechnic device was set off in a field and quickly ignited dry grass on a scorching day. The couple frantically tried to use bottled water to douse the flames and called 911, officials said.
Strong winds stoked the fire as it ran through wilderness on national forest land, about 120 kilometres east of Los Angeles. Extremely dry conditions and heatwaves tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight. Climate change has made parts of the US much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.