Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Fresno Leaders Voice ‘Full Support’ for Pismo’s Restaurant Manager in ICE Custody

12 hours ago

Poll: Katie Porter Holds Early Edge in California Governor’s Race

14 hours ago

Just 38% of Americans Support Trump’s Use of Troops to Police DC, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

15 hours ago

Families Leave Gaza City After Night of Bombardment, Israelis Protest

17 hours ago

California Farming Couple Seeks $300 Million for Aspen Estate

18 hours ago

Trump Administration Cannot Sue Maryland Federal Judges Over Immigration Order, Judge Rules

18 hours ago

California Republicans Sue to Block Congressional Redistricting Plan

1 day ago

Trump To Sign Executive Order Directing AG To Prosecute Flag Desecration

2 days ago

Fresno County DUI Crash Sends Car Into Embankment Near Highway 99

2 days ago
California Wildfire Ignited by Device To Reveal Baby's Gender
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
September 7, 2020

Share

LOS ANGELES — A couple’s plan to reveal their baby’s gender went up not in blue or pink smoke but in flames when the device they used sparked a wildfire that burned thousands of acres and forced people to flee from a city east of Los Angeles.

Water-dropping helicopters were brought in but the fire has proven stubborn — it grew to 11.5 square miles by Monday morning and more than 500 firefighters on the scene only had minimal containment. No homes have burned and no injuries reported.

The fire prompted evacuations in parts of Yucaipa, a city of 54,000, and the surrounding area. Water-dropping helicopters were brought in but the fire has proven stubborn — it grew to 11.5 square miles by Monday morning and more than 500 firefighters on the scene only had minimal containment. No homes have burned and no injuries reported.

It’s the latest in what has become a lengthy list of tragedies at events where typically smoke, confetti, balloons, or other colored objects are used to reveal the soon-to-be-born child’s biological sex — pink for girls and blue for boys. Sometimes the made-for-social-media gatherings are spectacles and include explosives and even guns, and at least one had deadly consequences.

Fire Started in Popular Park

The fire started Saturday morning at El Ranch Dorado Park, a rugged natural area popular with hikers and dog owners. In summer the park’s tall natural grasses dry out and turn golden, and when combined with the San Bernardino Mountains in the distance, provide a popular backdrop for family photos and videos.

The unidentified couple chose the location to reveal their baby’s gender. They were accompanied by their young children and had a friend or relative videoing on a cell phone, said Capt. Bennet Milloy of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The family went into a field and fired off the device, which quickly ignited 4-foot grasses, Milloy said. Conditions were perfect for a fire to spread quickly — triple-digit temperatures, low humidity, dry vegetation and a stiff breeze.

Couple Tried to Put Out Burning Grass

Surveillance video showed the couple frantically race to their vehicle to retrieve water bottles to try to extinguish the flames. It was futile and they called 911.

“You can’t fight a fire like this with a water bottle,” Milloy said. “They had no chance after it started.”

Firefighters arrived within minutes and the distraught couple told them what happened and provided their own photos and video to aid the investigation, Milloy said.

“It’s a pretty tragic situation,” he said. “Obviously this was supposed to be a happy event.”

The couple could be liable for the cost of fighting the fire and criminally charged with misdemeanor or felony counts.

Photo of firefighters
Members of a hand crew work on the fire line in Yucaipa, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Border Patrol Agent Started 2017 Arizona Wildfire

In 2017, a massive Arizona wildfire was accidentally started by an off-duty Border Patrol agent who shot a target filled with explosive blue powder. The fire burned 47,000 acres and caused $8 million in damages, Agent Dennis Dickey was charged with a misdemeanor and sentenced to probation.

Last year, a homemade explosive used to reveal a baby’s gender killed 56-year-old Pamela Kreimeyer in Knoxville, Iowa. The device was meant to spray powder but instead blew up like a pipe bomb. Kreimeyer, who was standing 45 feet away, died instantly when debris struck her head.

Milloy said some devices used to reveal genders are harmless but others contain chemicals that produce heat and can spark fires.

He said the device used Saturday will be tested to determine what it contained. Milloy didn’t know the color it emitted.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

California Searchers Pull Off High-Altitude Rescue of Missing Hiker

DON'T MISS

Judge Grants Fresno Temporary Win in Federal Grant DEI Dispute

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Asks US Supreme Court to Halt Foreign Aid Payments

DON'T MISS

Hamas Challenges Israeli Account of Gaza Hospital Casualties

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Set to Hire Deputy Superintendent With Impressive Credentials

DON'T MISS

Meta to Launch California Super PAC Backing Pro-AI Candidates

DON'T MISS

Poll: Californians Overwhelmingly Reject Trump’s Immigration Policies

DON'T MISS

Fresno Leaders Voice ‘Full Support’ for Pismo’s Restaurant Manager in ICE Custody

DON'T MISS

Leaked Audio Reveals Ex-Israeli Intelligence Chief Calling Gaza Deaths ‘Necessary’

DON'T MISS

Texas GOP Congressional Candidate Burns Quran With Flamethrower

UP NEXT

Judge Grants Fresno Temporary Win in Federal Grant DEI Dispute

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Asks US Supreme Court to Halt Foreign Aid Payments

UP NEXT

Hamas Challenges Israeli Account of Gaza Hospital Casualties

UP NEXT

Meta to Launch California Super PAC Backing Pro-AI Candidates

UP NEXT

Poll: Californians Overwhelmingly Reject Trump’s Immigration Policies

UP NEXT

Fresno Leaders Voice ‘Full Support’ for Pismo’s Restaurant Manager in ICE Custody

UP NEXT

Leaked Audio Reveals Ex-Israeli Intelligence Chief Calling Gaza Deaths ‘Necessary’

UP NEXT

Texas GOP Congressional Candidate Burns Quran With Flamethrower

UP NEXT

Madera County Authorities Arrest Army Sergeant in Child Sexual Abuse Material Investigation

UP NEXT

California High-Speed Rail Project Hit With New $175 Million Cut

Hamas Challenges Israeli Account of Gaza Hospital Casualties

10 hours ago

Fresno Unified Set to Hire Deputy Superintendent With Impressive Credentials

11 hours ago

Meta to Launch California Super PAC Backing Pro-AI Candidates

11 hours ago

Poll: Californians Overwhelmingly Reject Trump’s Immigration Policies

11 hours ago

Fresno Leaders Voice ‘Full Support’ for Pismo’s Restaurant Manager in ICE Custody

12 hours ago

Leaked Audio Reveals Ex-Israeli Intelligence Chief Calling Gaza Deaths ‘Necessary’

12 hours ago

Texas GOP Congressional Candidate Burns Quran With Flamethrower

12 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Arrest Army Sergeant in Child Sexual Abuse Material Investigation

13 hours ago

California High-Speed Rail Project Hit With New $175 Million Cut

13 hours ago

Poll: Katie Porter Holds Early Edge in California Governor’s Race

14 hours ago

California Searchers Pull Off High-Altitude Rescue of Missing Hiker

A hiker missing since Aug. 16 was located and evacuated Tuesday, Aug. 19, during a multi-agency search-and-rescue operation near Cottonwood ...

9 hours ago

On Tuesday, August 19, 2025, a hiker missing since August 16 was safely located and evacuated near Cottonwood Lakes during a multi-agency search and rescue operation. (Kern County SO)
9 hours ago

California Searchers Pull Off High-Altitude Rescue of Missing Hiker

Fresno City Gavel Lawsuit
10 hours ago

Judge Grants Fresno Temporary Win in Federal Grant DEI Dispute

People walk across the plaza of the U.S. Supreme Court building on the first day of the court's new term in Washington, U.S. October 3, 2022. (Reuters File)
10 hours ago

Trump Administration Asks US Supreme Court to Halt Foreign Aid Payments

People walk at the site of Israeli strikes on Nasser hospital where Palestinian cameraman Hussam al-Masri, who was a contractor for Reuters, was killed along with other journalists and people, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip in this still image taken from video, August 25, 2025. (Reuters File)
10 hours ago

Hamas Challenges Israeli Account of Gaza Hospital Casualties

FUSD Fresno Unified employment agreement Ben Drati
11 hours ago

Fresno Unified Set to Hire Deputy Superintendent With Impressive Credentials

11 hours ago

Meta to Launch California Super PAC Backing Pro-AI Candidates

11 hours ago

Poll: Californians Overwhelmingly Reject Trump’s Immigration Policies

12 hours ago

Fresno Leaders Voice ‘Full Support’ for Pismo’s Restaurant Manager in ICE Custody

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend