Companies that sold gender-reveal fireworks which ignited California wildfire agree to $4m settlement
Two fireworks companies and a third seller agreed to pay more than $4m over a gender-reveal stunt that sparked California’s El Dorado fire.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Nearly six years after the El Dorado fire killed a firefighter and burned more than 22,000 acres, the companies that sold the smoke bombs have agreed to settle civil claims tied to the blaze.
A party trick to show a baby’s sex turned into a huge wildfire when smoke bombs lit dry grass on fire. Like a tiny spark starting a huge campfire, the mistake burned land, damaged buildings, and killed a firefighter.
Analysis
Settlement
The US attorney’s office in central California said Wholesale Fireworks Corp, its subsidiary American Fireworks Wholesale LLC, and Pink or Blue Gender Team Inc agreed to pay more than $4m to resolve civil claims linked to the 2020 El Dorado fire. The settlement follows the Forest Service’s damage estimate of more than $41m.
What happened
According to the article, a couple used gender-reveal smoke bombs for a photo shoot at El Dorado Ranch park on 5 September 2020. The device ignited dry grass and started a wildfire that spread into the San Bernardino National Forest. The fire burned 22,744 acres, destroyed nine structures and more than a dozen outbuildings, and killed veteran Forest Service firefighter Charles Morton 12 days into the blaze.
Legal fallout
Federal prosecutors argued that the devices should never have been sold in California because they are illegal there, and said the sellers failed to provide adequate warnings about fire risk. The government also said the companies had roles in designing, importing, distributing, marketing and advertising the smoke bombs, and alleged the design itself was unsafe. In 2024, Refugio Jimenez Jr and Angela Renee Jimenez pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges. They later received jail, probation, and restitution orders.
Broader pattern
The article places the case in the wider history of increasingly elaborate gender-reveal stunts, which have sometimes caused injuries, damage, and deaths. It notes that the trend became more extreme over time, moving from simple cake cutting toward dangerous spectacles involving fireworks, explosives, planes, and other risky devices.
Key points
- Three companies agreed to pay more than $4m over the wildfire tied to a gender-reveal stunt.
- The El Dorado fire burned 22,744 acres, destroyed structures, and killed firefighter Charles Morton.
- Federal prosecutors said the smoke bombs should not have been sold in California and lacked adequate warnings.
- A couple previously pleaded guilty in criminal court for their role in starting the fire.
- The case adds to a long record of dangerous gender-reveal stunts that have caused serious harm.
The settlement may help recover some of the public costs tied to the fire and provide a measure of closure after years of legal conflict. It also reinforces the idea that companies can be held financially responsible when dangerous products are sold without proper warnings.
The money cannot undo the death, the burned land, or the broader damage caused by the fire. The case may also stand as another reminder that risky pyrotechnic products can still reach consumers despite legal restrictions and known hazards.
