California fire caused by explosive at gender-reveal party

A fire in California that has spread over more than 7,000 acres was caused by a "pyrotechnic device used at a gender reveal party”, local officials have said.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a statement on Sunday that the smoke generating device had sparked the El Dorado fire on Saturday morning.

“With the dry conditions and critical fire weather, it doesn’t take much to start a wildfire," the agency said.

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

The El Dorado fire is one of more than 20 blazes currently raging in California, which is experiencing a record heatwave.

Nearly 15,000 firefighters have been deployed to tackle the fires, the largest of which is known as the Creek Fire.

The blaze has burned more than 73,000 acres to date and local authorities said on Sunday that none of it has been contained.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday declared a state of emergency in the Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, San Bernadino and San Diego counties due to the fires.

His office said the declaration was prompted by the Creek Fire.

Eight people have been killed and more than 3,000 structures destroyed over the past three weeks in fires across California.

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