A father, who started with one wildfire during his family’s gender reveal photo shoot, which caused a massive fire that killed a firefighter, he will spend a year in prison and pay a $1.8 million fine.
Refugio Jimenez Jr. and his wife Angelina Jimenez accidentally ignited the 22,000-hectare ‘El Dorado’ fire in September 2020 using a pyrotechnic device that was supposed to emit blue or pink smoke to mark their baby’s gender reveal.
The fire raged for weeks, killing American firefighter Charles Morton, 39, injuring two other firefighters and 13 civilians, destroying homes and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate.
Refugio pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and two felony counts of recklessly causing a fire in an occupied building.
Angelina pleaded guilty to three counts of recklessly causing a fire to someone else’s property and was sentenced to a year in prison and community service.
Firefighters arrive to attend a memorial for Charles Morton, the U.S. Forest Service firefighter assigned to the Big Bear Hotshots who was killed in the line of duty on September 17, 2020.
Firefighter Ricardo Gomez, from a San Benito Monterey Cal Fire crew, causes a controlled burn while battling the Creek Fire
The photo shows the wildfire moving along the hills of the San Bernardino National Forest
The couple was also ordered to pay $1,789,972 in restitution.
District Attorney Jason Anderson said, “Closing the case was never going to be a victory.
The reckless conduct of “the defendants” had a tremendous impact on land, property, emergency response resources, the displacement of entire communities, and resulted in the tragic death of Forest Service Wildland Firefighter Charles Morton.
“All of these factors received extraordinary attention at every step of the investigation, grand jury process and judicial proceedings.”
The El Dorado Fire started on September 5, when the Jimenezs and their young children hosted a gender reveal photo shoot for their new baby at El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains.
A smoke-generating pyrotechnic device was detonated in a field, causing grass to quickly dry on a scorching day.
The couple frantically tried to use bottled water to extinguish the flames and called 911.
They waited at the scene for emergency services to arrive, fire department spokesman Bennet Milloy told DailyMail.com at the time: “We know how it started because they were still there.”
The fire was caused by a gender reveal photo shoot
The fire spread from El Dorado Ranch Park in the north, into the Yucaipa Ridge and into the San Bernardino National Forest
Cal Fire firefighters protect a structure near Montiel Truck Trail during the Valley Fire, in San Diego County
Milloy said it was a relatively small family gathering and family members had gathered for a photo opportunity.
Asked if the family realized the severity of their predicament, he said: “They understood the severity of the fire.”
Milloy continued, “They really believed it was an accident. But I think they now understand the seriousness of the situation.”
Strong winds fanned the fire as it raged through wilderness on national forest land about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
Charles Morton, the 39-year-old leader of the elite Big Bear Interagency Hotshot Squad, was killed on September 17 when flames engulfed a remote area where firefighters were cutting firebreaks.
Morton had worked as a firefighter for 18 years, mostly with the US Forest Service.
The fire burned nearly 36 square kilometers of land in San Bernardino and neighboring counties until it was contained on November 16.
Mike Scafiddi, Refugio Jimenez Jr.’s attorney, said the couple wanted to speak publicly about the fire, its impact on the community and Morton’s death, but that is not possible because of ongoing federal litigation.
A firefighting plane is seen dousing the area with specially formulated fire retardants designed to smother the sparks
“They have prayed for Mr. Morton and his family every night since his death. It has affected them deeply.’
The lawyer said his client had examined and tested the pyrotechnic device before firing it that day. He found no problems online or during his test.
“It was unpredictable for everyone.”
Scafiddi said that, contrary to what has been said publicly for years, the couple had not organized a gender reveal party. He said it was a photo shoot to discover the baby’s gender with the couple, some family members and their children.
‘It is simply incorrect to conclude that it was a gathering of several people with food and celebration. This was just shooting against a beautiful background.’
Refugio will be taken into custody on February 23 and will serve a year in prison. His sentence also includes two years of probation and 200 hours of community service.
The fire was one of thousands during a record-breaking California wildfire season that charred more than 4 percent of the state while destroying nearly 10,500 buildings and killing 33 people.