El Dorado wildfire which has burned 7,050 acres in California was started by a gender reveal party

A California wildfire which has so far destroyed 7,050 acres of land 40 miles northeast of Palm Springs was started during a gender reveal party, it has emerged.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on Sunday night that a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device caused the fire.

The devices are sometimes used to release blue or pink smoke to announce the gender of an expected baby. 

The fire started on Saturday at 10:23am, they said, and 527 people from 10 fire crews are currently trying to halt the fire’s progress.

It spread from the El Dorado Ranch Park north, onto the Yucaipa Ridge. The ridge separates Mountain Home Village and Forest Falls from the City of Yucaipa.

No injuries have been reported. An outbuilding was destroyed on Saturday, Desert Sun reported, but no other damage was reported as of Sunday afternoon.

The paper said about 30 homes were threatened by the fire. 

Evacuation orders are in place for the communities of Oak Glen, Yucaipa Ridge, Mountain Home Village and Forest Falls.

An Evacuation Warning is now in effect for the Yucaipa bench area, the fire service said.

Residents are being told that they may evacuate to Yucaipa Community Center as a temporary evacuation facility.

Fire fighters are using 60 fire engines and four helicopters to douse the blaze with water.

‘CAL FIRE reminds the public that with the dry conditions and critical fire weather, it doesn’t take much to start a wildfire,’ the press release stated. 

‘Those responsible for starting fires due to negligence or illegal activity can be held financially responsible and criminally responsible.’

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, on Sunday declared a state of emergency in five counties, including San Bernardino County due to the El Dorado Fire which continues to be ‘extremely active’ due to dry vegetation, steep terrain and sweltering hot weather across the region.  

Officials are asking that residents heed evacuation warnings and travelers stay clear of the fire area.

‘We need to keep the firefighters we do have focused on firefighting and not on managing people,’ fire officials said in a joint press release issued on Sunday.