A gender reveal party is to blame for one of several large wildfires currently raging on the west coast. Over the weekend, Cal Fire revealed a “pyrotechnic device” used during the party sparked the El Dorado fire in San Bernardino County, which has burned more than 11,000 acres at the time of this writing. This is not the first gender reveal party to end in tragedy, and the news has drawn outrage from people who are fed up with the destructive trend.
How the El Dorado fire began
The El Dorado fire started on September 5 around 10:23 a.m., according to a press release from Cal Fire. CNN reports that surveillance footage from El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, California, shows a couple with several children and another guest lighting a smoke generating device. Soon after, the family can reportedly be seen scrambling to put out flames with water bottles. Police declined to release the footage to the public due to their ongoing investigation.
The Cal Fire website states that 977 fire personnel have been deployed to fight the fire, along with six helicopters and over 117 fire engines. Additionally, the communities of Oak Glen, Yucaipa Ridge, Mountain Home Village and Forest Falls have all been asked to evacuate.
Gender reveal parties have previously led to destruction and death
This is the second time in three years that a gender reveal party has caused a wildfire. In 2017, a party in Arizona sparked a fire that burned almost 47,000 acres and caused over $8 million in damage. In that case, the father who set off the smoke generating device was charged with misdemeanor violation of U.S. Forest Service regulations, sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $8,188,609 in restitution.
There is also at least one fatality linked to gender reveal parties. In 2019, a homemade explosive device at a gender reveal party in Iowa launched flying debris that killed a 56-year-old grandmother-to-be who attended the party.
The backlash to gender reveal parties is on the rise
In the face of so much destruction and even death, people on social media are accusing parents who throw gender reveal parties of being selfish and wondering why these parties have become increasingly extravagant and dangerous.
On Twitter, news of the El Dorado fire was met with anger and disbelief. “Imagine having a gender reveal party that burns over 7,000 acres,” one user writes. “I swear, people say ‘how will I explain gay people to my child.’ Consider this, how will you explain millions of dollars of property damage to your kid, just so you know to buy pink or blue pajamas?”
imagine having a gender reveal party that burns over 7,000 acres. i swear, people say “how will i explain gay people to my child,” consider this, how will you explain millions of dollars of property damage to your kid, just so you know to buy pink or blue pajamas
— sarah schauer 🦂 (@sarahschauer) September 7, 2020
Others are offering less dangerous alternatives to explosive reveal parties, along with some biting social commentary. “Instead of blowing up things for a gender reveal party, the parents-to-be should hand out wallets,” they write. “If there’s a dollar inside, it’s a boy, if there’s 72 cents, it’s a girl.”
Instead of blowing up things for a gender reveal party, the parents to be should hand out wallets. If there’s a dollar inside, it’s a boy, if there’s 72 cents, it’s a girl
— Dr. Sarah Parcak (@indyfromspace) September 7, 2020
And some made jokes about which past and future disasters could be blamed on gender reveals. “The worst part about the Chernobyl disaster is they never revealed whether it was a girl or boy,” one person writes.
The worst part about the Chernobyl disaster is they never revealed whether it was a girl or boy
— Jess Dweck (@TheDweck) September 7, 2020
Another posted a photo of an asteroid hitting the earth with the caption, “It’s a boy.”
The next catastrophic gender reveal pic.twitter.com/a8mjKPRAkU
— Jordy (@inurend0) September 8, 2020
Even Jenna Karvunidis, who is widely credited as the creator of gender reveal parties, took to Facebook to condemn the fire. In 2008, Karvunidis threw a party with a pink cake to celebrate her pregnancy after several miscarriages. Photos from the party went viral, and the trend took off, but she has since been vocal in condemning parties that put others in danger, cause damage and promote gender stereotypes.
In her most recent post about the El Dorado fire, she writes, “Stop it. Stop having these stupid parties. For the love of God, stop burning things down to tell everyone about your kid’s penis. No one cares but you.”
Investigations into the El Dorado fire are ongoing, but Cal Fire Captain Bennet Milloy tells KESQ News the family who started the blaze could be liable for the burning lands, homes and vehicles damaged in the fire. There is no way to undo the destruction caused by this fire, but hopefully this catastrophic incident will make others think twice about risky gender reveals.
