The U.S. Forest Service released a video showing how an explosion at a Border Patrol agent’s gender-reveal party sparked the April 2017 Sawmill Fire in Arizona.
The video — obtained by the Arizona Daily Star through the Freedom of Information Act — shows the moment a man shot an explosive target on state land in the Santa Rita Mountain foothills.
After the target exploded, releasing a blue powder likely indicating a male gender, fire spread through the grass and a voice can be heard saying, “Start packing up.” Individuals in the videos were blacked out to protect their privacy.
Border Patrol agent Dennis Dickey, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of causing a fire without a permit in September, admitted responsibility for the explosion meant to reveal the gender of the baby his wife was carrying. An affidavit filed by the U.S. Forest Service said the target used contained Tannerite, a legal explosive substance that caused the powder to spread.
The fire impacted 47,000 acres, caused more than $8 million in damages, and required the attention of almost 800 firefighters for days.
