Fireworks facility blows up in Esparto, smoke plume seen for miles, explosions heard across NorCal, criminal investigation underway, 7 bodies found, fireworks shows cancelled across state
Crews responded to the fire along County Road 23 just before 6 p.m.
ESPARTO, Calif. — Fire crews were battling a fire and ongoing explosions at a fireworks facility in Yolo County, according to Cal Fire. A large plume of black smoke could be seen from miles away at the height of the incident, and evacuations were ordered in the area.
In a new development, around 8:30 p.m., a small group of firefighters were seen spraying water down on part of the road, the closest they have been to the facility, 25 hours after the blast.
More crews, including the ATF, made their way down road 86A for the morning briefing, that took place closer to the disaster area today, about 48 hours after.
PG&E has been allowed into the crime scene blast zone to begin to make repairs to its damaged equipment, days after the explosion.
Officials said seven bodies were located at the site on Saturday, which would be all of the missing. They were recovered on Sunday.
While officials have not yet released the identities of any of the unaccounted people, a woman identified one of them as her 18-year-old boyfriend Jesus Maneces Ramos.
She said it was his first day working at the facility.
A father spoke to JLR, where other family members are gathering, waiting for answers from officials. He said three of his sons worked at the facility, two of them having started their first day on the job on Tuesday.
Two people who were transported to a hospital have been released and are expected to survive.
Crews responded to the fire along County Road 23 and County Road 86A in Esparto just before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1st.
Officials emphasized that the scene is an active crime scene.
A source reported to a local news organization that so far, based off drone operations, all firefighters have been able to find are “unrecognizable” human remains, that will need DNA testing to ID them.
They added, in some cases, the remain fragments were far away from the blast.
Officials confirmed my reporting on Friday.
Video over the area shows a number of fireworks going off amid the flames. Several explosions appeared to engulf some structures on the property. The fire also appeared to spark additional spot fires at times miles away.
Cal Fire crews who were responding to a fire in Vacaville told JLR that they saw the smoke plume and began directing personnel that way.
The Yolo County Sheriff's Office said a warehouse storing fireworks exploded. It was still actively burning as Wednesday morning, though it burned out by the 24th hour.
JLR has confirmed a volunteer firefighter with Esparto Fire is connected to the property, and a Sheriff Lieutenant lived in one of the homes on the property that was destroyed.
News reporter Andres Valle was responding to the fire. He said officials pushed him and his photographer back for safety and a number of pops could be heard.
The sheriff's office said a one-mile evacuation order was put in place around the area where the fire was burning.
A number of households were also without power. According to PG&E's outage map, the outage was reported around 5:49 p.m., affecting more than 2,000 customers. An estimated restoration time was listed as 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, however power came back sooner.
One of the nearby grass fires caused by this burned 80 acres.
JLR spoke with Richard Meier, a fireworks accident expert, to get his perspective on the fire.
Meier shared what he would be considering while investigating a similar incident.
"There are protocols for how far apart these containers should be, limiting any ignition sources that could be near these containers that could cause an accident like that, and then having adequate fire protection in the area and firefighting equipment," he said. "That would be all the things I would be looking at."
Meier said the safest way to store fireworks would be to spread them out as far as possible, which can be difficult in a confined area.
"If something happens to one [storage container], hopefully you can contain it to that particular area," Meier said.
Company response to incident
Devastating Pyrotechnics released a statement on its website about Tuesdays fireworks explosion on Wednesday evening, more than 24 hours later.
"Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community. We are grateful for the swift response of law enforcement and emergency personnel. Our focus will remain on those directly impacted by this tragedy, and we will cooperate fully with the proper authorities in their investigation."
In a notable turn of events, the company has also hired an attorney.
They also began to dismantle their website this afternoon, and now, all that is on it, is a page with the statement above, and a phone number directing media with questions to call their newly hired attorney.
EVACUATIONS
Evacuation Orders remains in effect for Zone: MAD-063-A, The Evacuations for Zones: MAD-063-C & MAD-063-D are no longer in effect.
These zones can be viewed on the on the Genasys Evacuation Map.
In a press briefing just after 9 p.m., Esparto Fire Protection District Chief Curtis Lawrence said that crews would maintain a safe perimeter around the main fire throughout the night, while putting out spot fires around the area, as explosions and active fire continued well into the night.
Wednesday morning brought saw calmer conditions at the blast site, however crews continue to keep their distance, even on Wednesday night, a day after the blast.
All evacuations are in place for one mile surrounding the blast zone.
The Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District shared an air quality model. Areas southeast of Esparto to the I-505/CA-16 junction – including Madison – should keep the windows closed and the AC.
Monument Hills, Woodland, and the Sacramento metro are far enough east to not be greatly impacted.
Cal Fire, the California State Fire Marshal, bomb technicians, and other authorities are investigating the blast zone, using drones to search from a safe distance, in what has become a criminal investigation, with foul play suspected.
Video over the scene on Wednesday showed nothing left, with the scene looking comparable to a war zone.
Photo: KCRA
Authorities describe this incident as “rare.”
Below are the road closures while crews are still handling the aftermath of the fire.
County Road 86A at County Road 25
County Road 86A at State Route 16
County Road 23 at County Road 87B
County Road 86 at County Road 23
Fireworks explosion leads to cancelled shows
A joint press release from the Yuba-Sutter Region named Devastating Pyrotechnics as the company behind the fireworks. Records tied the company to the address where the explosions happened.
Yuba-Sutter said the fireworks that were destroyed were the ones intended for their Fourth of July show. They said they cannot confirm whether the fireworks portion of the celebration will be cancelled but said they are actively working on a backup plan.
That backup plan was established, with the show pushed back to Saturday night, via a different vendor.
Additionally, according to San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, that city was looking for a replacement or alternative to the planned fireworks show there, after the fireworks for that show were destroyed, thus canceling the show. A backup plan was created, a drone show, the first in the history of the city will take place on July 4th.
Shows in Cloverdale, at Lodi Lake, the El Dorado County Fair, in Placerville, St. Helena, and Chico were all cancelled.
S.F. Chronicle photographer arrested; other crews threatened with arrest
A freelance photographer on assignment for the San Francisco Chronicle was arrested at the scene of the massive fireworks warehouse explosion in Yolo County on Wednesday.
The photographer, Richard Grant, was booked into Yolo County jail on one count of criminal trespass after a California Highway Patrol officer confronted him at the scene of the fire.
Around 4:30 p.m., KCRA spotted Grant via their helicopter taking photographs of debris within the blast zone, which has been designated an active crime scene by law enforcement, making his actions illegal.
A CHP officer placed Grant into his squad car and drove him away from the scene. He was transferred to the custody of the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office. He was released late Wednesday evening.
Grant is believed to have gone past CHP road closures by cutting through farm land to access the scene of the explosion, a law enforcement source told JLR by phone.
A source familiar with the matter said a private attorney has been retained to represent Grant.
KCRA-TV and the San Francisco Chronicle are owned by Hearst.
About 15 minutes after Grant’s arrest, sheriff’s deputies warned a news crew from Sacramento TV station KXTV that they were filming too close to the crime scene.
The crew had been warned the previous day that they were filming within the crime scene zone, and that they needed to move for the integrity of the investigation and their own safety, authorities confirmed.
One member of the news crew told police that they used a GPS application on their phone to arrive at the scene, and that they did not encounter any police road blocks or any visible signs that the area was closed to the media. But a police source said the same crew had been warned a day earlier that they were filming too close to where the explosion took place.
The crew, who was not identified by name, was told to leave the area and threatened with arrest if they returned.
Under California law, accredited members of the news media are permitted to access areas that are closed to the public during emergencies, even if their safety is threatened. But the law doesn’t allow reporters or photographers to access areas designated as crime scenes, and journalists can be arrested if they disturb evidence.
What happened Thursday
Officials from the California Office of Emergency Services, Esparto Fire Protection District, Yolo County Sheriff's Office and the Yolo County Board of Supervisors gathered news media at 1:30 p.m. Thursday for a news briefing.
At the briefing, Esparto Fire Chief Curtis Lawrence stated there were no new updates. Yolo County Undersheriff Matt Davis spoke after him, saying that the department's thoughts and prayers are with the families. He is also asking the public for patience as they work to clear the site of hazardous material.
Supervisor Angel Barajas said the county has provided hotel and food vouchers for the families of those still missing.
To conclude the short briefing, the Cal OES representative said they are not answering questions from reporters.
A corner van along with firefighters and investigators were at the blast zone on Thursday evening.
It is unknown if any bodies were moved Thursday evening.
A JLR crew on scene Thursday reported that explosions could still be heard at times, noting they weren’t as significant and intense as before.
Two major bombshells also came out Thursday. First, the facility did not have the proper permits, and second it was not properly zoned for that type of facility.
It is unclear if officials even knew fireworks were being stored of built on the property, though the official who told Jayden Lacy that information was looking into it.
JLR has reached out to the volunteer firefighter who lived on the property, and is waiting to hear back.
What we know about Devastating Pyrotechnics, company at center of Esparto fireworks facility explosions
Public records and officials for communities with events impacted by the fireworks explosion identified the company at the Esparto facility as Devastating Pyrotechnics.
On Tuesday evening, the website for Devastating Pyrotechnics showed that the company has headquarters in San Francisco and Esparto.
Throughout Wednesday, the website was edited with information being taken off the site.
On Wednesday evening, the web page was updated to share the following statement:
"Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community. We are grateful for the swift response of law enforcement and emergency personnel. Our focus will remain on those directly impacted by this tragedy, and we will cooperate fully with the proper authorities in their investigation."
JLR obtained records from the Secretary of State dating the company back to 2013.
Additional state records show another company by the name of BlackStar Fireworks listed at the Esparto address. That company's records date back to 2023.
The State Fire Marshal's website lists both companies as valid operators licensed through June 2026.
However, on Thursday, the Yolo County Planning Commission confirmed that the property was not permitted to store fireworks. Rather, it was zoned for agricultural equipment storage.
"No conditional use permits have been issued for the property. Non-agricultural commercial warehousing and storage uses are not allowed in the A-N Zone," the Department of Community Services stated.
The owner of the property, Sam Machado, is a lieutenant with the Yolo County Sheriff's Office.
Both Devastating Pyrotechnics and BlackStar Fireworks are connected with a man named Craig Cutright. Cutright owned BlackStar and was an employee of Destructive Pyrotechnics. He is an active volunteer firefighter for the Esparto Fire Protection District, the chief confirmed.
Officials and investigators would not confirm details about any recent inspections at the site or insight about storage protocols followed at the facility.
What we know about the 7 unaccounted for
Family members have been pressing for more information and clarity.
Here's what we know so far about those missing, according to loved ones:
Jesus Maneces Ramos
The girlfriend of Jesus Ramos, Ryanna Ruiz, told JLR that it was the 18-year-old's first day on the job along with one of his brothers.
Jesus is one of three brothers from the Bay Area who worked at the Esparto warehouse.
Ruiz is expecting a baby with Jesus.
His grandmother, Mercedes Lemus, traveled from Los Angeles to be in Esparto on Thursday, hoping that being closer could bring more answers about her missing grandchildren.
Johnny Ramos
Johnny is the brother of two other men who are unaccounted for— Jesus Ramos and Joel Melendez.
Their mother, Marisol Ramos, traveled to the site of the tragedy on Thursday, hoping to get more answers.
Joel Melendez
Melendez, also called "Jr" by loved ones, is the eldest of the three brothers missing.
According to a GoFundMe, Jr was the main provider for his wife and their 11-month-old child—and the couple was expecting another child.
Carlos Javier Rodriguez
Rodriguez, 41, was identified by a close friend of the family, Darlene Sanchez.
She said that the family has come to terms with the grim reality.
He would have found a way to let us know if he were alive," Sanchez said.
As she and Carlos’ family mourn the assumed loss of the man they love, they recall his humor and dedication.
“He was loud, funny, and a good guy who did his best at everything,” Sanchez said.
Neil Li
He is the general manager of Devastating Pyrotechnics, based on a proposal the company submitted to supply fireworks to Rio Vista in 2023.
Two others remain missing
The two others who are unaccounted for have not yet been identified by family members or officials.
Yolo County has set up support services for those affected by the fire. Loved ones can call 530-661-2750 for resource referrals.
Friday developments
According to officials, one of the missing at the blast site is the general manager of Devastating Pyrotechnics.
Additionally, new reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle, shows Devastating Pyrotechnics was denied a federal license on multiple occasions.
Saturday updates
Controlled Explosive Disposal at Oakdale Fire Site
As part of ongoing recovery and investigation efforts at the site, authorized personnel conducted a controlled explosive disposal. Officials say “this planned and carefully managed operation is being conducted by CAL FIRE, the ATF National Response Team, and regional bomb squad partners to safely remove hazardous materials identified at the scene. Residents may hear loud noises or notice smoke and odors in the area during this time. This is expected and part of the controlled process. The operation is anticipated to continue through approximately 3:30 p.m. There is no immediate threat to public safety, and all necessary safety protocols are in place,” officials said.
While the bodies have not been identified, there has been a search since Tuesday for seven people who were unaccounted for after the explosion and subsequent fire.
Details were not released as to how many people crews believe they have recovered.
Crews are expected to continue their recovery mission throughout the weekend, the sheriff's office said. The personnel at the site include investigators, fire crews and members of the Yolo County Coroner's Office.
The sheriff's office said it has no positive identifications at this time for the remains, and the coroner's office is in contact with the families of the missing people.
The sheriff's office also said two or three houses were destroyed in the blasts, while several others were damaged.
An attorney representing Devastating Pyrotechnics, the company that owned the warehouse, said they will be deferring further public comment until the investigation is complete.
Sunday updates
Officials said seven bodies were located at the site on Saturday, which would be all of the missing. They were recovered on Sunday.
Authorities are going to begin DNA testing on Monday.
Controlled explosions continued at the site on Sunday between 2 & 3 p.m. in what authorities in Yolo County call the “ongoing recovery and investigation efforts”
Monday developments
Authorities held a 10 a.m. press conference.
Here is what we learned:
Esparto Fires Curtis Lawrence continued to use the term “site visit,” saying when his department visited the site it wasn’t an “inspection.”
On the topic of the Esparto volunteer firefighter who worked for Devastating Pyrotechnics, the fire department confirmed he is on “a leave of absence,” but Lawrence didn’t say further.
This comes as JLR learned that both Devastating Pyrotechnics and BlackStar Fireworks are connected with a man named Craig Cutright. Cutright owned BlackStar and was an employee of Devastating Pyrotechnics. He is the active volunteer firefighter for the Esparto Fire Protection District, Lawrence confirmed.
Lawrence did say he spoke with the firefighter in a personal capacity, not professionally.
Meanwhile, the owner of the property, Sam Machado, is a lieutenant with the Yolo County Sheriff's Office. When asked about the deputy's status, Davis said it's a personnel matter.
When asked by a KCRA reporter about the DNA testing of the human remains of the seven missing, who were recovered from the scene on Sunday, they said they hope to have those identities released in the next 48 hours, which would be Wednesday.
On Monday, additional controlled explosions continued at the scene, as authorities work to make the scene safer to investigate.
The State Fire Marshal's office on Monday said its focus was on investigating where and how the initial explosion occurred.
"Our work will expand in the coming days to determine whether the operator had all the necessary licenses and permits. It is too early in the investigation to confirm whether any violations resulted in this tragedy, but we are dedicating our Arson & Bomb Investigation team to assist Esparto Fire Protection District in investigating the explosion," State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant told JLR in a statement. "In California, we have some of the most stringent pyrotechnic laws and regulations and take very seriously anyone attempting to put the public in danger by not following these requirements. We have an absolute zero tolerance towards the illegal use, transportation, and possession of illegal fireworks."
Two of the families are now being represented by a Los Angeles law firm.
"We are really supporting them in an emotional position and then trying to just make sure that they have what they need," said Samantha Ortiz.
Ortiz had previously represented Joel Melendez on a separate matter before the deadly blast. She is also representing the Ramos family.
"Right now we're looking into a civil action, which would be negligence, maybe wrongful death for the fact so many individuals lost their lives," Ortiz said.
Ortiz said the firm is conducting their own investigation and keeping an eye on the Esparto Fire Department, Yolo County Sheriff's office and the State Fire Marshal's office.
"I am glad that Cal Fire has stepped in now," she said. "It does sound like Cal Fire may have some more powers of investigation, but none of those questions have been answered for us yet as to what exactly they found or have not found yet."
JLR has unofficially identified 5 of the 7 victims of the explosion.
Tuesday updates (1 week since explosion)
The Yolo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday declared a local emergency after the July 1 deadly Esparto fireworks warehouse explosion and fire.
The declaration asks for federal and state agencies to provide disaster response, law enforcement, investigative, financial and other assistance.