What consequences should the family who have caused more than 25,000 acres, 5 homes, and 10 buildings to burn face? While there were several wildfires burning in California already, one family had an “explosive” gender-reveal party over the Labor day weekend at El Dorado Ranch Park at Yucaipa, right next to Los Angeles. A pyrotechnic smoke device which was intended to release pink or blue smoke to indicate the gender of the unborn baby caused the massive El Dorado fire to start. But instead of only revealing the gender of a baby, this device gave birth to a monster. 

According to NBC Los Angeles, the El Dorado Fire has spread with instant speed, and has burned over 22,000 acres of land. This fire has destroyed at least six homes and ten buildings as of September 20. Thousands of people in the area were forced to evacuate from their homes, and more than 11,000 buildings faced the threat of being burned down due to this fire. Highway thirty-eight remained closed from Bryant Street to Mile Marker thirty-seven as of September 24th, and evacuation warnings were still in place. All of these damages in conjunction with the current global pandemic has taken a toll on California citizens. Not only was the loss of property experienced due to the fires, but the unfortunate death of one brave firefighter has also been confirmed. 

This firefighter, Charles Marton, a thirty-nine year old veteran of the US Forest Service, died on September 17th, while bravely battling the disastrous El Dorado Fire. His family made a statement to Dailymail saying, “Charlie is survived by his wife and daughter, his parents, two brothers, cousins, and friends. He’s loved and will be missed. May he rest easy in heaven with his baby boy.”  This fire refuses to stop and continues to spread, and more firefighters are risking their lives, working to protect the residents from the El Dorado Fire. 

Should the parents of this murderer be responsible for these destructions? CalFire Captain Bennett comments, “Even though it’s accidental, it could be considered ‘reckless.’ In California if it is deemed ‘reckless’ they could be found criminally liable for burning the wild lands, the homes, and the vehicles that were burned during that. CalFire is not looking at this at the moment but they could be civilly responsible for the suppression costs after the fire.” I agree with Bennett that the actions of the family were far too “reckless” and carefree. The labor day weekend was pretty warm, and the family also should have known the dangers considering other wildfires burning in California. The family comments that the smoke produced from the device quickly ignited the dry season glasses and started spreading with great speed. The family attempted to stop the fire as soon as possible, however, they were unable to do so. I believe the lack of caution using such devices with potential harms should be considered when charging the family. 

Yes, the fire was not created intentionally, however there are countless instances where things are done “accidentally” that cause charges and consequences such as car accidents. In this case, the fire has done much more damage than a car accident possibly could. According to Arizona Daily Sun, Randall Nicholsan, who started the Hardy Fire in 2010, has served more than a year in state prison and was charged $12,000 in penalties. The Hardy Fire burned around 15,000 acres, which is 7,000 acres less than what the El Dorado Fire has burned. Comparing these two fires clearly shows how much more damage the El Dorado Fire has caused, and I believe that the family should face similar, or even more severe consequences including a charge in penalties as well as a few years of imprisonment. The family should pay the most they could for the destruction caused by the fires, as well as for the family whom they stole a life from. The family should at least start campaigns, a non-profit organization, or a movement which discourages the use of smoke devices in parties. They should help prevent further accidents caused by harmful smoke devices that may end up stealing people’s lives. Even though there is no way in which they could physically pay off for all the destruction and sorrow they caused, this is the least they could do to cover up at least one percent for their wrong doings.