A gender reveals party backfired on Saturday, September 5th at 10:23 a.m.(1:23 p.m. EST) starting one of many wildfires in California. During a press release, it was said that the fire started by a “smoke-generating pyrotechnic device” used to find out the gender of the baby in San Bernardino County. According to the California Fire 2020 Fire Summary, the fire has grown to 846,898 acres as of September 22nd and is only 43% contained. A California investigator says that people have to be a lot more careful because over 80% of fires are started by humans. The communities of Oak Glen, Yucaipa Ridge, Forest Falls, and Mountain Home Village were ordered to evacuate their homes for safety because of the El Dorado fire.

The August Complex fire has become the biggest fire in all of California history as of September 10th, burning more than 746,000 acres of land. The August Complex fire alone started more than 30 separate fires across the Mendocino National Forest. Across Northern California, huge clouds of smoke from the fire were sent high into the atmosphere, blocking out the sun. The National Guard is airlifting hundreds of civilians and pets out of the Sierra National Forest. As of Tuesday, September 22nd, there have been 29 fatalities with dozens of people missing, at least 41,000 structures have been destroyed, and more than 60,000 people were forced out of their homes. The 2020 California fires have so far cost more than $1.025 billion in repairs. Currently, those involved in the gender reveal and the person who set off the device is cooperating with fire investigators. Fire investigators announced that they have violated at least three laws and depending on the level of recklessness determined, penalties can vary for those involved.