Watch: Video shows gender reveal that caused Arizona wildfire
The 2017 fire near Green Valley burned 73 square miles of state and federal land.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A wildfire in southern Arizona started when an off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent shot at a target to reveal a baby’s gender.
The 2017 fire near Green Valley burned 73 square miles (190 square kilometers) of state and federal land. The damage and firefighting costs topped $8 million.
A video released Monday by the U.S. Forest Service shows the target explode after being hit with gunfire, sending a blue substance into the air. The tall, dry grass immediately bursts into flames.
The Sawmill Fire burned more than 46,000 acres in southern Arizona. It started with this gender reveal video pic.twitter.com/q2BndHkike
— Nick VinZant (@NickVinZant) November 26, 2018
A figure blacked out on the video moves toward the flames after a few seconds but then backs up. A male voice twice shouts “Start packing up!”
Agent Dennis Dickey said he constructed the target with an explosive substance inside. He pleaded guilty in September to a misdemeanor charge.
