CRIME
Father Behind Gender Reveal That Sparked Deadly El Dorado Fire Sentenced For Involuntary Manslaughter
San Bernardino County Fire Department
The California couple whose gender reveal party sparked the deadly El Dorado Fire in September 2020 pleaded guilty to multiple counts including involuntary manslaughter and agreed to pay $1,789,972 in restitution, prosecutors said Friday.
Refugio Jimenez Jr. pleaded guilty to one felony count of involuntary manslaughter for the death of firefighter Charlie Morton, along with two felony counts of recklessly causing a fire to an inhabited structure. He was sentenced to two years felony probation, one year in county jail and 200 hours of community service. He will be remanded into custody on Feb. 23.
His wife, Angelina Jimenez, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of recklessly causing fire to property of another. She was sentenced to one year summary probation, and 400 hours of community service.
“Resolving the case was never going to be a win.” District Attorney Jason Anderson said in a statement. “The Defendants reckless conduct had tremendous impact on land, properties, emergency response resources, the displacement of entire communities, and resulted in the tragic death of Forest Service Wildland Firefighter Charles Morton. All these factors were given an extraordinary amount of consideration throughout every step of investigation, the Grand Jury process, and court proceedings.”
On Sept. 5, 2020, the couple gathered with their young children for a gender reveal photo shoot at El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, below the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles. A pyrotechnic device meant to generate colored smoke to indicate their unborn baby’s gender ignited the dry grass on a hot day.
The couple called 911 and tried to extinguish the flames with the bottled water they had at hand, but the fire quickly spread thanks to strong winds.
The fire burned for 71 days, destroying 20 structures and spreading through the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area of the San Bernardino National Forest. In total 22,744 acres were burned. Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate, and more than a dozen were injured.
On Sept. 17, 2020, 39-year-old firefighter Charles Morton was killed. Morton was the leader of the Big Bear Interagency Hotshot Squad, and died while cutting fire breaks in a remote area that was overrun by flames.
Three years after the fire, in September 2023, the U.S. Forest Service filed a lawsuit against the couple, along with the companies that manufactured, distributed and sold the pyrotechnic device that sparked the blaze. According to the lawsuit, the smoke bombs used in the gender reveal were known to be defective and were illegal in California.
“To the victims who lost so much, including their homes with valuables and memories, we understand those are intangibles can never be replaced. Our hope with this resolution is that it closes a painful chapter in your lives, and the restitution provides a measure of assistance in becoming whole again, Anderson said.
“We continue to extend our condolences to the family of Charles Morton and express our deepest gratitude the members of the Grand Jury, and impacted community for their patience, Anderson said. Id also like to thank United States Forest Service, Cal Fire, the San Bernardino County Fire Department, the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department Homicide Division and the City of Yucaipa for their investigative efforts in this case.
TMX contributed to this article.
