Dear History Lover,
          The temperature outside calls for layers. Trees in the Northeast United States stand bare. We are just over one month into a new year, and as society squirms with change, our planet expresses fierce weather and flagrant fires. In the final months of 2024, the Northeast United States experienced unprecedented drought and blazes. We have watched, as even more chilling catastrophes evict the inhabitants of Southern California. In times of instability, historical trends offer valuable insight into cyclical patterns. Recalling California nearly 5 years ago, El Dorado Fire scorched acres of land, incinerating homes and wildlife in its wake.

          El Dorado Fire ignited September 5, 2020 and blazed uncontrollably for over two months until full containment on November 16. With the heroic bravery of eleven hand crews, eight helicopters, twelve fire-suppression bulldozers, ten water tenders, and 996 personnel, it still proved lethal to successfully stymie the fires. In all, the conflagration consumed 22,744 acres of land and forced over 3,000 residents to evacuate.

          The fire commenced on September 5, 2020, when a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device malfunctioned at a gender reveal party in El Dorado Bike Park, Yucaipa, California. The malfunction produced sparks that ignited parched grass. A red flag warning had already been issued in San Bernardino County, due to drought and wind gusts up to 20 mph; yet, that warning went unheeded by revelers.

          When the pyrotechnics malfunctioned, the blaze spread rapidly, consuming 400 acres in the lower tiers of the San Bernardino
Mountains. With temperatures surpassing 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the fires raged across the mountains and into the National Forest. On September 17, Charles Morton, Leader of the elite Big Bear Interagency Hotshot Crew, was overrun by a sudden increase in the fire’s intensity, and fell trapped within a wall of flames. Morton was 39 years-old when the fires took his life. A veteran firefighter of 18 years, he left behind his fiancée, Monica.

          The consequences, like the fires, were swift. Refugio Jimenez, Jr., the host of the gender-reveal party, plead guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of recklessly setting fire to an inhabited structure. He was sentenced to one year in jail, two years probation, and 200 hours community service. Jimenez’s wife Angelina, plead guilty to three counts of recklessly setting fire to the property of another. She was sentenced to one year of summary probation and 400 hours of community service. The family was ordered to pay $1,789,972 in restitution.

          While calamities like that which occurred in El Dorado seem surreal, there are lessons to be learned. Incorporating elementary-level fire safety programs and fostering environmental consciousness may mitigate instances of overt negligence like those committed at the infamous gender reveal event.

          A study published in the Science Advances (Vol. 8, No.11) indicates an increase in fire activity, intensified with larger, more frequent, widespread fires since the start of the 21st Century. Fires increased more than threefold in the Western U.S. and increased six fold in the Great Plains. While fires hadn’t drastically increased on the East Coast, trends are now shifting in that region. Here in Massachusetts, the Department of Fire Services reported a 1,200% increase in fire activity with 196 wildfires reported in October 2024; a shocking contrast to the typical fifteen wildfires reported on average during that month.

          While we can hope for the best, we may be in store for an upward trend in wildfires. Whether this increase is part of cyclical patterns, or an indicator of a more robust environmental shift, it is non-negotiable that arson and negligence are flagrant abuses of the planet and its resources. When government agencies, such as NOAA, issue statistical reports on incidents of wildfire, they should also state the causes of these fires (if known), so that they may be statistically analyzed. The determination of a cause, with the intention to mitigate risk, is a more responsible approach, than solely dealing with the catastrophes and loss of life in the aftermath. With increased environmentally focused curricula integrated into primary and secondary school education, we may begin to unearth the root sources of these fires in order to take preventative measures to ensure the safety of our citizenry. It is unacceptable that heroes, like those who serve in the Big Bear Interagency Hotshot Squad, should perish in these tragedies. May the memory of Hotshot Squad leader Charles Morton, along with those of the 29 victims of the 2025 wildfires, be a blessing to all who knew them.

          History At Play™ wishes our History Lovers health and compassion this. Keep scrolling to learn more about the exciting ways we are going to #MakeHistory in 2025.

Historically yours,