Gender-reveal party culprit in massive California wildfire: officials - National | Globalnews.ca

A firework at a gender-reveal party triggered a wildfire in southern California that’s scorched more than 7,000 acres and forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes, local fire officials said.

The fire was caused by a “smoke-generating pyrotechnic device” used at a party Saturday morning in El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, about 140 kilometres east of Los Angeles, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said on Sunday.

“The fire spread from the park to the north on to Yucaipa Ridge that separates Mountain Home Village and Forest Falls from the City of Yucaipa,” Cal Fire officials said in a press release.

“With the dry conditions and critical fire weather, it doesn’t take much to start a wildfire. Those responsible for starting fires due to negligence or illegal activity can be held financially and criminally responsible,” the statement said.

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The fire has since destroyed 7,050 acres and prompted several cities to issue evacuations orders. More than 500 people have been deployed to fight the fire, along with 60 fire engines and four helicopters, according to the Cal Fire website.

As of Monday, only five per cent of the blaze has been contained, the website also stated.

A firework at a gender reveal party triggered a wildfire in southern California that has destroyed 7,000 acres (2,800 hectares) and forced many residents to flee their homes, the fire department said Sunday. JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images

California has seen 900 wildfires since Aug. 15, many of them started by an intense series of thousands of lightning strikes. The blazes have burned more than 1.5 million acres and there have been eight deaths blamed on the fires and nearly 3,300 structures destroyed.