More than 520,000 hectares have been lost to fires in the US 4:35
(CNN) -
A Southern California couple whose gender reveal party allegedly sparked the deadly El Dorado wildfire in 2020 has been charged with 30 crimes, including manslaughter, authorities announced Tuesday.
A smoke bomb set off by the couple in Yucaipa, California, on Sept. 5 of that year as part of a gender reveal party sparked a fire that burned more than 8,903 acres in two counties, the county district attorney said. San Bernardino, Jason Anderson during a press conference.
A California fire sparked by a gender reveal party has risen to over 4,000 acres
One firefighter died while fighting the flames and two others were injured, according to Anderson.
The fire destroyed several homes and burned more than 8,903 hectares (22,000 acres), his office said.
Cal Fire determined that the cause of the fire was a "smoke-generating pyrotechnic device."
In September 2020, a pyrotechnic device used at a gender reveal party sparked a Southern California wildfire that destroyed 22,000 acres (8,903 hectares) and forced many residents to flee their homes.
More than 500 firefighters and four helicopters were fighting the El Dorado fire east of San Bernardino.
(Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP via Getty Images)
The couple, who pleaded not guilty during their arraignments Tuesday, were released on their own recognizance until their next scheduled hearing in September, Anderson said.
advertising
CNN contacted the couple's attorney, but received no response.
"Obviously you are dealing with lost lives, you are dealing with injured lives and you are dealing with the residences of people that were burned and their lands that were burned. That encompasses a lot, not just emotion, but damage, both financial and psychological," Anderson said. at the press conference.
Wildfires in the west have already burned an area that is 4 times the size of New York
The charges were filed after a grand jury heard 34 witness interviews over four days, he said.
Ultimately, 434 pieces of evidence were presented to the grand jury, leading to the indictment opened Tuesday, which includes one felony count of involuntary manslaughter, three felony counts of recklessly setting a fire with major injuries. four counts of felony for recklessly setting fire to inhabited structures and 22 counts of misdemeanors for recklessly setting fire to someone else's property, Anderson said.
The fire "had a tremendous impact on the San Bernardino community," Anderson said, adding that at least six agencies "were involved in containing, extinguishing and investigating" the deadly fire.
Couple charged in the death of a firefighter
A photograph of Charles Morton, a firefighter who died fighting the El Dorado wildfire, is displayed at a memorial service for Morton on September 25, 2020 in San Bernardino, California.
Morton was a 14-year veteran of the U.S. Forest Service (Photo by Mario Tama / Getty Images)
Firefighter Charles Morton, a Big Bear Interagency Hotshot squad leader, was fighting the El Dorado fire when he died, CNN previously reported.
The 39-year-old "died while participating in firefighting operations," the US Forest Service said in a news release after his death.
The Hotshot squad are the front-line firefighters who walk straight into the fire on steep terrain to strategically plan the best course of action to deal with the flames.
Morton had worked as a firefighter for 18 years, including 14 years in the Forest Service, according to the statement.
"Charlie was a highly respected leader who was always there for his squad and his crew during the most difficult times," US Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen said in the statement.
"Our hearts go out to Charlie's loved ones, co-workers, friends, and the Big Bear Hotshots. We will keep them in our thoughts and prayers."
Anderson said Tuesday that part of the reason the investigation and final prosecution took so long was because authorities wanted to ensure full justice was served.
"Given the scope and impact of the El Dorado fire on the land and lives of so many people, particularly Charles Morton and his family, it was imperative that all investigations be completed at both federal and state agencies to provide a presentation complete and fair to members of our community, "Anderson explained.
A family manages to escape a fire in a boat 0:52
1 of 15
|
The Dixie fire continues to burn this July 20 in Butte County, California, where it has burned more than 24,000 hectares.
(Credit: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection)
2 of 15
|
Firefighters extinguish hot spots in an area affected by the Bootleg Fire, near Bly, Oregon, on July 19.
(Credit: David Ryder / Reuters)
3 of 15
|
The Tamarack fire burns in Markleeville, California, near the Nevada border, on Saturday, July 17.
The fire was caused by lightning on July 4 and has led to the mandatory evacuation of several campsites and neighborhoods in the area.
(Credit: Ty O'Neil / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images)
4 of 15
|
A member of the Northwest Incident Management Team holds up a map of the Chuweah Creek fire as the fires ravage Nespelem, Washington, on Friday, July 16.
(Credit: David Ryder / Reuters)
5 of 15
|
Firefighters spray water from the Union Pacific fire train as they fight the Dixie Fire in California on July 16.
(Credit: Noah Berger / AP)
6 of 15
|
Horses climb a hillside burned by the Chuweah Creek fire in eastern Washington.
(Credit: David Ryder / Reuters)
7 of 15
|
The fire from the Bootleg fire lights up smoke near Bly, Oregon, on the night of July 16.
(Credit: Payton Bruni / AFP / Getty Images)
8 of 15
|
A firefighter battles the Bootleg Fire in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, along the Oregon-California border, Thursday, July 15.
(Credit: US Forest Service / ZUMA Press Wire)
9 of 15
|
Dee McCarley, evacuated from the fires, hugs her cat Bunny at a Red Cross center in Klamath Falls, Oregon, on Wednesday, July 14.
(Credit: Nathan Howard / AP)
10 of 15
|
An airplane fires flame retardant at the Chuweah Creek fire in Washington on July 14.
(Credit: David Ryder / Reuters)
11 of 15
|
Fire consumes a home as the Sugar Fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex fire, ravages Doyle, California, on July 10.
It is the second time in less than a year that the small town has been devastated by a forest fire.
(Credit: Noah Berger / AP)
12 of 15
|
Two men hug a Red Cross member at a Bootleg fire evacuation center in Klamath Falls, Oregon, on July 12.
(Credit: Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / Reuters)
13 of 15
|
The Sugar fire burns in Doyle, California, on July 9.
(Credit: Noah Berger / AP)
14 of 15
|
A group of firefighters monitor the Sugar fire in Doyle, California, on July 9.
(Credit: Noah Berger / AP)
15 of 15
|
In this long-exposure photo, taken early on July 2, flames surround a drought-stricken Lake Shasta during the Salt Fire in Lakehead, California.
(Credit: Josh Edelson / AFP / Getty Images)
Fires in the United States
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/MRTKPTWSX5AHJKFTMCH77T6JRY.jpg)
