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A Southern California couple were indicted on Tuesday for allegedly setting off a smoke bomb for a gender reveal that sparked a wildfire, killing a firefighter and burning more than 22,000 acres.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson announced the charges against Refugio Manuel Jimenez Jr. and Angela Renee Jimenez at a press conference. The couple pleaded not guilty to one count of manslaughter, three counts of recklessly causing a fire with serious bodily harm, four counts of causing a fire recklessly in inhabited structures and 22 recklessly property fire offenses.
On September 5, 2020, the El Dorado fire started in El Dorado Park near Yucaipa, California, before expanding explosively in dry conditions. The blaze lasted 23 days and burned 22,000 acres across the county, causing hundreds of people to flee their homes. Five houses were destroyed, along with more than a dozen other structures. The blaze injured two firefighters and killed one, Charles Morton.
Anderson said the fire had had a “huge impact on the community” and that it was a “complex case”. If the couple are found guilty, they face up to 20 years in prison, he said.
In 2017, another such revealing party sparked a wildfire in Arizona that burned 47,000 acres. In the end, 800 firefighters worked to put out the blaze, which cost the state $ 8 million; Dennis Dickey, the father, pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $ 220,000 in restitution. He was sentenced to five years’ probation.
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