Couple Convicted In Gender-Reveal Blaze That Killed Firefighter

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CA — The couple whose gender-reveal festivities sparked the deadly El Dorado fire in 2020 were convicted Friday of charges related to the blaze, authorities said.

Refugio Jimenez Jr. pleaded guilty to one felony count of involuntary manslaughter for the death of firefighter Charlie Morton and two felony counts of recklessly causing a fire to an inhabited structure, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. Angelina Jimenez pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of recklessly causing fire to another’s property, authorities said.

Refugio Jimenez Jr. was sentenced to one year in county jail, two years of felony probation and 200 hours of community service, according to authorities, and Angelina Jimenez was sentenced to one year of summary probation and 400 hours of community service.

The Jimenez’s were also ordered to pay nearly $1.8 million in victims’ restitution, authorities said.

“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,” District Attorney Jason Anderson said in a new release, adding authorities sought input from the victims regarding the case.

The couple was previously charged with 30 crimes and faced the possibility of sentences that were more than a decade long after a smoke bomb was set off Sept. 5, 2020, in the parched grasses of El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa as part of their gender-reveal ceremony.

The fire ripped through over 22,680 acres in the Oak Glen and Yucaipa Ridge region within the San Bernardino National Forest and forced nearby residents to evacuate.

Morton, 39, died in the blaze. He was a Big Bear Interagency Hotshot Squad Boss. He served for 14 years in the U.S. Forest Service.

The blaze also injured two other firefighters, damaged more than a dozen structures and destroyed five homes. The fire burned for nearly one month and took at least six agencies to quell.

“To the victims who lost so much, including their homes with valuables and memories, we understand those are intangibles (that) can never be replaced.” Anderson said in the news release. “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.”