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3 companies to pay over $4M after gender reveal ignited deadly SoCal wildfire
ktla ^ | 06/02/2026 | Jocelyn Fiset

Posted on 06/03/2026 11:02:26 AM PDT by BenLurkin

An Ohio-based smoke bomb designer and two other companies have agreed to pay more than $4 million to the United States to settle a lawsuit over a gender reveal that literally went up in smoke back in 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A pyrotechnic device at a couple’s gender reveal party in Yucapia’s El Dorado Ranch Park on Sept. 5, 2020 sparked the El Dorado Fire, which burned nearly 23,000 acres and caused a firefighter’s death.

Hubbard, Ohio-based Wholesale Fireworks Corp. and its Hudson, Ohio-based subsidiary, American Fireworks Wholesale Inc., agreed to pay the $4 million to settle the claims brought on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service.

A third defendant, Florida-based Pink or Blue Gender Team Inc., agreed to pay $50,000 to settle claims related to the fire.

The fire spread to the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area of the San Bernardino National Forest, burned a total of 22,744 acres, damaged and/or destroyed nine structures and 15 outbuildings and killed one firefighter.

The couple responsible for the gender reveal party later pleaded guilty to criminal charges in San Bernardino County Superior Court.

(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...


TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: california; eldoradofire; florida; jocelynfiset; ktla; ohio; sanbernardino; sangorgonio; yucapia
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To: ridesthemiles

And the instructions should be in how many languages?


21 posted on 06/03/2026 12:26:53 PM PDT by mikey_hates_everything
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To: TheThirdRuffian

Don’t never drop your Schofield! “Load one, skip one, load four, put the hammer on the empty chamber on your single-action!”. Heh.

Why did they call them six-shooters, when everyone who knew carried five?!? I’m with you on that. Only when people were in heat did they load all six.

You’ve read more on this incident than I have. The fact that an out of state company would ship illegal explosives to California baffles me. They are subject to liability.

The fact that they are making a buck doesn’t surprise me.

Ignoring laws for ‘gender reveal’ fireworks, with sub-standard products screams illegal chinee import company in the US.

~~~~~~~

I’m only an aspiring curmudgeon, but when my children were born the ‘gender reveal’ was a letter to our friends and family after the baby was born.

A couple phone calls to mom and dad through the operator for long-distance (costly then) or through the overseas operator (place your call and the operator will call you back once a circuit is open).

Pink envelope, blue envelope, stamped and addressed. Stamps were a lot cheaper then, and the Post Office actually delivered mail in less than three weeks.

Nowadays? A ‘gender reveal’ happens in the first or second trimester. Evidently with a party, fireworks, brush fires, people dead, and lots of property destroyed and lives disrupted and ruined.


22 posted on 06/03/2026 12:29:55 PM PDT by KitJ (Shall not be infringed...)
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To: Nik Naym
" We specifically told them we did NOT want to know what it is, just that they are healthy"

Exactly. My kids were born around the same time. We said the same thing. My bride had the pre-natal ultrasounds. The staff was informed not to tell us. The nurses turned the monitor to where she couldn't see it.

Pink and Blue envelopes both at the ready. Surprise!

23 posted on 06/03/2026 12:40:36 PM PDT by KitJ (Shall not be infringed...)
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To: KitJ

I was a phone tech working for GTE.
A phone was out at the VA in the ultrasound department.
Slow day, so about four of us, went down to look at the problem.
When I saw we were in the ultrasound department, I said,
“Wouldn’t it be fun to have the ultrasound done like right now?
A person heard me and said
“yeah.
We are a teaching hospital too”
This part of the VA was for men.
This was my third and last pregnancy.
Three C-sections. I already had two boys.
I wanted another boy.
Up on the table I went and she put the wand
on my stomach and he was in the perfect position to see that he was a boy.


24 posted on 06/03/2026 12:52:03 PM PDT by missthethunder (Since the 1980 Rona Barrett interview. IYKYK. )
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To: PGR88

I’d bet $$ that the answer is affirmative (re suing Chevron).


25 posted on 06/03/2026 1:11:26 PM PDT by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 "/!i!! &@$%&*(@ -')
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To: KitJ

As an aside, my Schofield is, by far, the easiest to quickly aim and most accurate pistol I own. Perfect balance.

Clearly designed to be fired from horseback.


26 posted on 06/03/2026 1:18:29 PM PDT by TheThirdRuffian (Orange is the new brown)
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To: BenLurkin

“Refugio Jimenez Jr. and Angelina Jimenez each pleaded guilty to several charges in San Bernardino County, including three felonies for Refugio. He pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of recklessly causing a fire to an inhabited structure, while Angelina pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors.”

They might be as American as apple torta, but one wonders...


27 posted on 06/03/2026 1:19:16 PM PDT by Chewbarkah
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To: T.B. Yoits
The State of California caused a statewide tinderbox

"And to what end?" (he asks rhetorically), That would be pleasing the biggest industry in the State: residential developers, who forced ranchers and timber landowners to sell, cheaper using regulations against both timber harvesting, grazing, and broadcast burning tp "protect the environmint."

Wrote the book about that one, so to speak.

28 posted on 06/03/2026 1:24:15 PM PDT by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: BenLurkin

So, did the couple get to find out if they were having a girl or a boy?


29 posted on 06/03/2026 1:25:00 PM PDT by MHT
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To: missthethunder

What a blessing for you!

Mrs. Kit is one who might skip back to the last few pages of a novel to see how it ends. Then go back and read the rest. I’m pretty sure she snuck a glimpse and knew that our second would be a boy. She never told me anything until birth.

Your story is really funny. Thank you.

GTE+VA+Ultrasound = you’re pregnant, did you want to know? You did it, so you must have.

I have no problem with people wanting to know what sex their baby will be. It helps for the Trousseau.

My issue is all the crazy stuff that happens before the child is born.


30 posted on 06/03/2026 1:26:58 PM PDT by KitJ (Shall not be infringed...)
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