ESPARTO, Calif. (BN24) — Seven people were unaccounted for Wednesday after a fireworks warehouse exploded in rural Northern California, igniting a massive blaze that tore through farm fields and forced evacuations across the surrounding community, authorities said.
The blast erupted Tuesday night at a property near Esparto in Yolo County, about 40 miles northwest of Sacramento, sending a barrage of fireworks into the air before collapsing the building into a smoldering heap. Fire crews and investigators continued combing the area for clues and searching for the missing individuals, using drones to survey the charred debris and scorched fields.
It was not immediately clear whether those unaccounted for had been working inside the warehouse or living nearby. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, said teams were working closely with the property owner to track down any sign of the missing people.
Residents were urged to steer clear of the area as the fire burned through the night and into Wednesday morning. The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the site remained too dangerous to enter due to the risk of additional explosions.
“The fire will take time to cool, and once it does, explosive experts must safely enter the site to assess and secure the area,” the sheriff’s office said late Tuesday.
By dawn, the blaze had scorched nearly 80 acres of farmland. Crews managed to contain it from spreading farther, but spot fires flared repeatedly in the dry fields around the warehouse.
State and federal agencies quickly joined the response. Cal Fire said the property was owned by an active pyrotechnic license holder and emphasized that such explosions are highly unusual.
“This type of incident is very rare, as facilities like this are required to not only follow our stringent California pyrotechnic requirements, but also federal explosive storage requirements,” the agency said Wednesday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said it was closely tracking the response and had sent ground and air crews to help.
“The State Fire Marshal has sent an arson and bomb investigation team and stands ready to provide additional support as needed,” the governor’s office posted on X.
In neighboring Sutter and Yuba counties, officials began reevaluating Independence Day celebrations after fireworks stockpiled for public displays were destroyed in the explosion.
Authorities said the cause of the blast remained under investigation, and no timeline was given for when investigators would be able to safely enter the destroyed building.
