(Palm Springs, CA) — The family who sparked the El Dorado Fire in San Bernardino County by exploding a device at a gender reveal party could be held liable for the recent death of a firefighter. Bill Portanova, iHeartMedia’s legal analyst, says both criminal and civil charges could be filed. Portanova says it will ultimately be up to the San Bernardino County district attorney whether any charges are filed. The firefighter, who has not been identified, was killed Thursday according to the San Bernardino National Forest Service. The identity of the family who held the gender reveal party has not been revealed either and no arrests have been made, though they are fully cooperating with fire investigators. Portanova says families can easily obtain materials that, if used recklessly, can spark a wildfire. Jenna Karvunidis, the woman who is widely credited as starting the trend of gender reveal parties, says she’s trying to shy away from them now. She recently went viral again for speaking out against the concept. Karvunidis, who lives in Los Angeles, says she had to evacuate her home due to a different wildfire in her area. But she says she believes social media is fueling people to make their gender reveal parties more of a spectacle, which led to the El Dorado Fire.
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