El Dorado Fire

The fire began at 10:23 a.m. (PDT) on September 5, 2020, when Angela Renee Jimenez and Refugio Manuel Jimenez Jr. set off a smoke bomb at a gender reveal photoshoot at the El Dorado Ranch Park near Yucaipa, in southern San Bernardino County. Heat from the smoke bomb caused nearby dry grass to catch on fire, which spread rapidly. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the Jimenezes attempted to extinguish the fire with bottled water, then reported the fire to the authorities and cooperated with their investigation. The cause of the fire inspired widespread mockery and condemnation against gender reveal parties, and was frequently compared to the 2017 Sawmill Fire, ignited by an exploding target at a gender reveal party in Arizona. ==Progression==

First responders arrived and began to attempt suppression of the El Dorado Fire at 10:40 a.m., when it had an area of . Because of the steep terrain, temperatures exceeding , and low humidity, the fire spread rapidly northward and grew to an area of on September 6. In response to the fire's spread, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino County, and evacuations were ordered in Mountain Home Village, Oak Glen, Forest Falls, and Yucaipa. A stretch of California State Route 38 and the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area of the San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF) were closed. On September 7, the fire grew to . Firefighters halted its advance south, though evacuation notices were issued to residents of Riverside County, to the south of San Bernardino County, and the SBNF was closed. Lower temperatures and higher humidity on September 8 briefly slowed the spread of the El Dorado Fire, which grew to and prompted more evacuations in San Bernardino County. On September 9, the annual Santa Ana winds fanned the El Dorado Fire, which grew to by the morning of September 12. In spite of winds, continued high temperatures, and low humidity, firefighters made enough progress containing the spread of the El Dorado Fire to allow for the lifting of evacuation orders in Yucaipa and Oak Glen on September 10, September 11, September 12, and September 13, and Riverside County on September 10. Angelus Oaks and Forest Falls were evacuated at the same time, however, and residents of Big Bear were advised to evacuate. On September 15, CAL FIRE estimated that the spread of the fire, then at , was 61 percent contained. On September 17 the El Dorado Fire crossed State Route 38 and grew to by the next day. While U.S. Forest Service Hotshot crews conducted controlled burns near Angelus Oaks on September 17, wind gusts created local fires that resulted in the death of a firefighter. On September 18 residents of Forest Falls and Mountain Home Village were allowed to return to their homes. By September 24, the fire had grown to , but was estimated to be 81 percent contained and the evacuation order for Angelus Oaks was lifted. Containment reached 93 percent on September 28, and it continued to burn until November 16. ==Effects==

The El Dorado Fire burned over 71 days, Landslides and rockfalls began in September 2020 as the fire eroded the soil of its burn scar, ==See also==