Three fireworks companies have agreed to pay a combined $4.05 million to settle civil claims arising from the 2020 El Dorado fire in southern California, which was accidentally ignited during a gender-reveal photo shoot. The blaze burned more than 22,700 acres, destroyed multiple structures, and killed Charles Morton, a 39-year-old US Forest Service firefighter. Prosecutors said the smoke-bomb devices should never have been sold in California, where such pyrotechnics are illegal, and that the companies — Ohio-based Wholesale Fireworks Corp, its subsidiary American Fireworks Wholesale LLC, and Miami-based Pink or Blue Gender Team Inc — bore liability for their roles in designing, distributing, and marketing the unsafe products.