A Southern California husband and wife who used a pyrotechnic device during a gender reveal party last September, sparking the El Dorado Fire that killed a firefighter, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter, authorities said Tuesday.
Refugio Manuel Jimenez Jr. and Angela Renee Jimenez pleaded not guilty on Monday to one felony count of involuntary manslaughter and felony and misdemeanor counts related to the fire, The Associated Press reports. They were released on their own recognizance.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While fighting the El Dorado Fire, Charles Morton, 39, was killed on Sept. 17 when flames overran the area where he was cutting fire breaks with his crew, the Big Bear Interagency Hotshot Squad. The fire scorched national forest land, injured 13 people, forced hundreds of evacuations, and destroyed five houses and 15 buildings.
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelagoThe Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
AI: is the bubble about to burst?In the Spotlight Stock market ever-more reliant on tech stocks whose value relies on assumptions of continued growth and easy financing
-
Crossword: October 19, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Renewables top coal as Trump seeks reversalSpeed Read For the first time, renewable energy sources generated more power than coal, said a new report
-
China vows first emissions cut, sidelining USSpeed Read The US, the world’s No. 2 emitter, did not attend the New York summit
-
At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquakespeed read A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across PacificSpeed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resignsSpeed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodgeSpeed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floodsSpeed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star programspeed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
