Abigail Shimniok

California couple Refugio Jimenez Jr. and Angelina Jimenez were sentenced Feb. 9 after accepting a plea deal claiming responsibility for the deadly El Dorado wildfire.
Prior to the plea deal, the couple was indicted for 30 crimes related to the fire.
The El Dorado fire was ignited on Sept. 5, 2020, and lasted until Nov. 16, 2020, and burned 22,744 acres of property, destroyed 10 structures, injured 12 people and killed Charles Morton, a firefighter attempting to subdue the flames.
The fire was started by pyrotechnics that the couple was using for a gender reveal photoshoot at a ranch park in Yucaipa, CA. The device quickly caught fire in the dry grass.
The couple tried to douse the flames with a water bottle and called 911, but the wind had already spread the fire out of control.
Refugio Jimenez Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of recklessly causing a fire to an inhabited structure. He is set to be taken into custody on Feb. 23 to serve a year in jail. His sentence also includes two years of felony probation and 200 hours of community service.
Angelina Jimenez plead guilty to three misdemeanor counts of recklessly setting fire to the property of another. She was sentenced to a year of summary probation and 400 hours of community service. The couple was also ordered to pay $1,789,972 in restitution.
“Resolving the case was never going to be a win,” District Attorney Jason Anderson continued in a news release following the law, offering his condolences to Morton’s family. “To the victims who lost so much, including their homes with valuables and memories, we understand those are intangibles that can never be replaced.”