A gender reveal caused a California wildfire and $8 million in damages

Video of the gender reveal party that sparked the massive Sawmill Fire, causing $8 million in damage in Arizona last year, has been released by the U.S. Forest Service. Dennis Dickey of Tucson, Arizona, revealed his wife was carrying a baby boy by shooting a target filled with a colorful substance, which would burst out in pink or blue. But the target shot by Dickey, a Border Patrol agent who was off-duty at the time, also contained tannerite, a highly explosive substance.

… In the video the target is in a field of dry grass and a gunshot causes it to erupt in flames. Blue smoke is seen leaving the target as fire seems to instantly spring to life in the grassy area nearby. A figure in the video, which has been blocked out by the U.S. Forest Service, runs over to the burning area, and a voice off-camera can be heard shouting, “Start packing up!” The Sawmill Fire went on to burn nearly 47,000 acres and required approximately 800 firefighters to contain in April 2017.


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