ESPARTO, Calif. (AP) — Authorities said that seven people were still unaccounted for after a fireworks warehouse explosion in rural Northern California on Wednesday. The explosion sparked a major fire that extended to farm fields and forced evacuations in the neighboring town.
LiveCopter 3 recorded a number of HUGE explosions for us LIVE on@kcra.
This is at a Esparto-area fireworks facility.
This location was crowded with explosives three days prior to the Fourth of July.
Nearby residences are evacuated. Our personnel are avoiding contact.YhbdNgcXLI pic.twitter.com/
July 2, 2025, Heather Waldman (@KCRAHeather)
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, detectives and emergency personnel were collaborating with the property owner and utilizing drones to search the region for the people.
Whether the individuals lived close by or worked at the warehouse was not immediately apparent.
Following the Tuesday night explosion, which triggered a flurry of fireworks and a massive fire that sparked more spot fires and caused the building near Esparto in Yolo County, approximately 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Sacramento, to collapse, residents were advised to stay away from the area.
Investigations were underway to determine the cause of the explosion.
The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office stated in a statement late Tuesday that once the fire has subsided, explosive specialists must safely enter the scene to evaluate and safeguard the property.
After scorching nearby agricultural areas, the fire was contained at about 80 acres (33 hectares) as of Wednesday morning, according to officials.
According to a statement released by Cal Fire on Wednesday, the property is held by a current pyrotechnic license holder. This kind of incident is extremely uncommon because establishments like this must adhere to both federal explosive storage regulations and our strict California pyrotechnic laws.
The office of Governor Gavin Newsom stated that it was monitoring the situation and that both air and ground resources from the state were used.
On the social media platform X, the governor’s office stated that the State Fire Marshal has dispatched an arson and explosives investigation team and is prepared to offer more assistance if required.
After their pyrotechnics were damaged in the explosion, officials in neighboring Sutter and Yuba counties said Wednesday they were looking into other options for Fourth of July celebrations.
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