- Refugio Jimenez Jr. has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after his gender reveal photoshoot led to the 2020 El Dorado fire.
- The fire was started by an incendiary device that produced smoke during a photo shoot, and resulted in the death of firefighter Charles Morton.
- Jimenez Jr. was sentenced to one year in prison, two years suspended for the felony charge, and 200 hours of community service.
A man who killed a firefighter during a Southern California wildfire in 2020 after posing for a family member’s gender reveal photo has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, prosecutors announced Friday.
El Dorado Fire on September 5, 2020, Refugio Jimenez Jr. and Angelina Jimenez and their young children pose for a photo shoot for their baby’s gender reveal at El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains. It occurred when I did this.
A smoke-producing pyrotechnic device was lit in a field, rapidly igniting dry grass on a scorching day. Authorities said the couple desperately tried to put out the fire using bottled water and called 911.
Gender-revealing fireworks spark massive fire in El Dorado
The fire was ignited by strong winds as it raced through the wilderness of a national forest about 70 miles (120 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. Charles Morton, 39, the leader of the elite Big Bear interagency hotshot squad, died on September 17, 2020, when flames engulfed a remote area where firefighters were clearing a firebreak. Morton was a firefighter for 18 years, working primarily for the U.S. Forest Service.
Firefighters arrive to attend a memorial service for U.S. Forest Service firefighter Charles Morton, who died while responding to wildfires in California on September 17, 2020. A man whose family’s gender reveal photoshoot sparked a fire has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. (Terry Pearson/The Orange County Register, via AP, File)
On Friday, the San Bernardino County District Attorney announced that Refugio Jimenez Jr. had pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter and two counts of reckless arson of a residential structure. He was taken into custody on February 23 and is expected to serve a year in prison. His sentence also includes two years’ probation and 200 hours of community service for the felony charge.
Angelina Jimenez pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor charges of recklessly setting fire to another person’s property. She was sentenced to one year of summary probation and 400 hours of community service. The couple was also ordered to pay $1,789,972 in restitution.
Firefighter killed in El Dorado wildfire identified as firefighter’s boss
“Solving a case is never a victory,” District Attorney Jason Anderson said in a news release, offering his condolences to Morton’s family. “To the victims who have lost so much, including their homes with valuables and memories, we understand that these are intangible things that can never be replaced.”
The U.S. Forest Service filed suit against the pyrotechnic manufacturer, distributor, seller, and the couple in September, on the third anniversary of the fire. The lawsuit alleges that the “smoke bombs” used were illegal in California and were known to be defective.
Mike Scafidi, 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 because of the ongoing federal lawsuit. He said he couldn’t do that.
“They have been praying for Mr. Morton and his family every night since his death,” Scafidi told The Associated Press on Sunday. “It touched them deeply.”
The attorney said his client investigated and tested the incendiary device before setting it off that day, and found no problems online or through testing.
“It was unexpected in anyone’s mind,” he said.
Scafidi said that contrary to what has been said publicly for years, the couple is not hosting a gender reveal party. He said the photo shoot was with the couple, several relatives and their children to find out the baby’s gender.
“It is completely wrong to infer that it was a group of people coming together to have a meal or celebrate,” he said. “It’s just a beautiful background to take a photo with.”
Angelina Jimenez’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
California officials say family behind gender reveal party that started El Dorado fire may have had to pay for it: Report
The fire injured 13 other people and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents in a small community in the San Bernardino National Forest. Five homes and 15 other buildings were destroyed.
The blaze blackened approximately 36 square miles of land in San Bernardino and Riverside counties before being extinguished on November 16, 2020.
The fires are among thousands of fires that have burned more than 4% of the state, destroyed nearly 10,500 buildings and killed 33 people during California’s record wildfire season. There was one.
The extreme dryness and heat waves associated with climate change are making it harder to fight wildfires. Climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the past 30 years, and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.
