Human remains found at California fireworks warehouse explosion site, officials say

CBS News

a day ago

Authorities say human remains have been found after the Tuesday explosion and fire at a fireworks warehouse in the Northern California community of Esparto.
On Friday, Yolo County officials announced that human remains were located after coroner's division personnel were allowed to access the site for their investigation. No positive identifications of the remains have been made at this time, officials said.
Officials have said seven people were "unaccounted for" after the July 1 incident at Devastating Pyrotechnics.
The Yolo County Sheriff's Office confirmed the building was a fireworks warehouse in the area of county roads 23 and 86A.
Several structures on the property caught fire after the explosions, with the flames spreading into multiple grass fires with a combined burn area of approximately 80 acres, the Esparto Fire Protection District said. The initial explosion happened around 5:50 p.m. on Tuesday.
Here's a look at the facility before and after the explosions.
On Thursday, CBS Sacramento confirmed through public records that a Yolo County sheriff's lieutenant was listed as an owner of the property. An Esparto volunteer firefighter was also tied to a fireworks business license with the same address as the facility, records show.
CBS Sacramento reached out to both for comment but has not received a response.
As of Thursday evening, investigators were finally able to enter the property, but information remained limited. Officials also said they were using drones to understand the scene and improve coordination across teams due to the presence of explosive materials. Crews are also working to cool any remaining hotspots.
Esparto Fire Chief Curtis Lawrence said two people were injured and received medical care. He said no firefighters have been injured.
Yolo County officials issued mandatory evacuations for a one-mile stretch on the south side of the facility that remained in effect Thursday. Law enforcement officials said streets around the evacuation zone and leading into the facility were shut down.
Cal Fire will be taking the lead in the investigation. Yolo County said Wednesday that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was called in to assist with the investigation.
Who are the seven people unaccounted for?
CBS Sacramento has spoken to people who said they had loved ones believed to have been inside the facility at the time of the incident, but they have not been able to contact them. Cal Fire said late Wednesday morning that seven people were not accounted for and that first responders are working to determine their whereabouts.
Syanna Ruiz, 18, said her boyfriend and his two brothers are missing. She said that her boyfriend, Jesus Ramos, 18, had his first day on the job at the facility on the day of the explosions. She identified Jesus' brothers as Johnny Ramos, 22, and Junior Melendez, 28.
"We last spoke to them around 2 or 3 when they were supposed to be leaving, and then we found out about it through a report or something on Instagram and we came instantly," Ruiz said Wednesday. "Praying to God that they're alive and maybe they just need medical attention."
A fourth individual was identified by family members to CBS Sacramento as Carlos Rodriguez. The remaining three people were not yet identified.
Officials have not confirmed the identities of the seven people unaccounted for.
What we know about
Devastating Pyrotechnics .
Devastating Pyrotechnics has an active fireworks license through the state as an importer and exporter, according to state records. It also has an active license through the state for public displays.
The Esparto warehouse was cited as a storage facility for commercial fireworks. However, Stephanie Cormier, the director of the Yolo County Planning Commission, confirmed to CBS Sacramento late Thursday afternoon that Devastating Pyrotechnics has no local licenses to store fireworks on the property or a business license.
Cormier said it is an agricultural property that is limited to agricultural use at the local level.
Fire officials said they have been to the Esparto warehouse for safety checks in the past, but did not provide information on whether there were any safety concerns or when the last time the business was checked.
Devastating Pyrotechnics released the following statement on Wednesday on its website:
"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."
Aside from the two injuries reported by law enforcement, there have been no confirmed deaths.
A previous version of the website stated the business has another location in San Francisco and has been serving Northern California for 30 years. The website now only shows the statement released by the business.
The statement also refers all further inquiries to a lawyer. CBS Sacramento reached out to the lawyer for further comment but received the same statement that was posted to the website.
Where are Esparto and Yolo County located in California?
Yolo County borders the west side of Sacramento County. Esparto is a small, rural town located about 14 miles west of the city of Woodland in Yolo County and about 35 miles northwest of the city of Sacramento.
Some residents of the area told CBS Sacramento that windows to their homes were rattled by at least two separate explosions. Some described their house shaking like during an earthquake, with explosions going off seemingly every five minutes.
Nearly 2,200 Pacific Gas and Electric customers in the area were left without power due to the incident. PG&E said only 33 customers remained without power as of Thursday evening.
Smoke plume from the explosion and fire
CBS News San Francisco
CBS Sacramento's First Alert Weather Team confirmed the smoke plume from the initial explosion reached between 10,000 and 15,000 feet in elevation.