Latest news with #OfficeoftheStateFireMarshal
San Francisco Chronicle
4 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
State suspends fireworks licenses after deadly Yolo County explosion
The Office of the State Fire Marshal suspended the pyrotechnic licenses of the owners of two fireworks companies that had ties to a Yolo County warehouse that exploded earlier this month, killing seven workers, authorities said Tuesday. The state suspended the licenses of Kenneth Chee, 48, the owner and CEO of Devastating Pyrotechnics, and Craig Cutright, who owns Blackstar Fireworks and has worked as a volunteer firefighter for the Esparto Fire Protection District. The Fire Marshal's office is leading the investigation into the deadly explosion. A Chronicle investigation earlier this month found that Chee was denied a license by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to acquire or possess fireworks. But for many years, Chee continued to grow his business and put on Fourth of July and New Year's displays for cities around the state. Cutright was once listed as a part of Devastating Pyrotechnics' administrative staff. Last week, police raided a San Francisco home, with the address listed known as Chee's former home. The explosion at the Esparto facility, located 35 miles northwest of Sacramento, occurred on July 1 and engulfed the building in flames. A blaze soon followed, which Cal Fire named the Oakdale Fire, quickly spreading into nearby vegetation along Highway 16 and Oakdale Ranch Lane. Smoke plumes appeared to rise more than 15,000 feet into the air, and the fire was eventually contained after burning approximately 78 acres. Seven people were killed in the explosion. Cal Fire officials said Tuesday that their arson and bomb investigators have completed their evidence collection from the explosion site. "We continue to remain laser focused on this investigation as the family and the community deserve answers. The effort to find the cause can take time, and it is our responsibility to ensure we provide a thorough and accurate investigation." said Chief Daniel Berlant, California State Fire Marshal in a statement.
San Francisco Chronicle
08-07-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Deadly Yolo County explosion: Family of those killed search for answers as investigation continues
Yolo County officials on Monday said they were still working to identify the seven individuals whose remains were found at the site of a fireworks warehouse that exploded last week. Officials expected to have the victims' identities confirmed within the next 48 hours, Yolo County Undersheriff Matt Davis said Monday at a news conference. Authorities continued searching the facility Monday, although Davis said investigators don't believe there are more victims. 'We're going to make sure with every available resource that no stone is left unturned and there are no individuals still left on site,' Davis said. Several family members have identified their loved ones as among the missing, and other relatives have expressed frustration over the lack of official information from authorities. No further details about the ongoing investigation, which is being led by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, were released. Two companies at the property, Devastating Pyrotechnics and Blackstar Fireworks, had state fireworks licenses, according to a Cal Fire spokesperson. The state fire marshal 'will verify if the licensee was operating within the licensing requirements,' according to the spokesperson. But the head of Devastating Pyrotechnics, 48-year-old Kenneth Chee, was denied a federal license to acquire or possess fireworks for reasons that weren't immediately clear, according to interviews and a Chronicle review of public records. The explosion last Tuesday collapsed the fireworks warehouse in the rural community of Esparto, about 40 miles northwest of Sacramento. The blast also ignited a 78-acre fire, prompting evacuations. As they await official confirmation, people whose family members remain missing after the explosion created GoFundMe pages to help the surviving relatives with funeral costs as well as transportation, child care and other needs in the wake of lost income. One verified fundraising page identified Jhony and Jesus Ramos as two brothers who disappeared after the explosion. Jesus Ramos, an 18-year-old expecting father, was working his first day on the job when the explosion happened, according to the fundraiser. Other verified GoFundMe pages identified Carlos Rodriguez and Joel 'Jr.' Melendez among the missing. According to the fundraisers, Rodriguez was a husband and father; Melendez was the main provider for his pregnant wife and their 11-month-old son. A Facebook post by CWC Life, a Christian church in Manteca (San Joaquin County), identified Angel Voller as one of the victims 'who tragically passed away in the Yolo County fire and explosion.' An Instagram post by Venture Academy Family of Schools in Stockton identified Voller as a former star baseball player, who had been named Pitcher of the Year by the California Collegiate Athletic Association. 'Angel was a fierce competitor and the most loyal friend and teammate you could ever ask for,' the school wrote in a post. 'Angel's impact on our program, his presence and his infectious smile will never be forgotten.'
San Francisco Chronicle
08-07-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Yolo County explosion: Seven killed included three family members
Three individuals whose remains were found at the site of an explosion at a fireworks warehouse last week in Yolo County, were from the same family, according to their relatives. Family members identified Jesus Ramos, 18, Jhony Ramos 23, and their stepbrother Joel Melendez, 28, to be among the seven individuals who died after a fireworks warehouse exploded last Tuesday in the rural community of Esparto. Jesus and Jhony Ramos were alumni of San Francisco Unified District schools, according to Anastasia Klafter, principal of Independence High School in the Inner Sunset, the school Jesus graduated from last month. Yolo County officials said Monday that they expected to publicly announce the names of the people killed in the blast this week following a DNA analysis and next-of-kin notifications. Details about the ongoing investigation into the blast, which is being led by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, have not been released. The lack of official information has frustrated family members and loved ones of the seven people missing. Syanna Ruiz, the girlfriend of Jesus Ramos, said Tuesday that she and the Ramos family were devastated by the loss of the three brothers and criticized officials for what she said was a slow response. 'We're very sad about it, but we're more so angry at the moment that we can't even grieve properly because guess what? We don't have their ashes, we don't have answers, we don't even know whose body is which,' she said. Ruiz said the explosion happened on Jesus' first day on the job. He was only supposed to work two days at the warehouse, where his brother and step-brother had previously worked. Jesus initially expressed concerns to his brothers about the job's safety, Ruiz said. 'Dude, what if the warehouse blows up? Is it ok to have fireworks in there and everything?' Ruiz recalled Ramos asking his brothers. 'His biggest fear was to die burning and for it to have happened, his biggest fear in a way came true,' Ruiz said. Jhony reassured him that it was a 'good summer job,' Ruiz said. Jesus was remembered as a person who loved to paint and was proud to be from San Francisco. He worked as a plumber with his father and loved stargazing at a San Leandro park with Ruiz, who is two months pregnant with their child. 'He was such a joyful person. He'd always put others before himself,' said Ruiz. San Francisco school district officials said in an Instagram post they were 'deeply saddened' by the deaths. Klafter, the school principal, said Jesus was a talented artist who had a lot of friends that cared about him at Independence High School. 'He had this really big smile. It sounds corny but it would sort of like light up a room,' Klafter said. 'Our heart really, really goes out to his family. I can't imagine the pain that they're going through losing three siblings in such a horrific accident,' she added. Claudia Delarios Morán, principal of Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 School in the Mission District, where Jesus and Jhony attended, said Jesus was her daughter's classmate at the school before she started working there. She described both brothers as kind and beloved community members in the Mission. Jesus 'continued to be part of our community even after moving on to high school himself, and I think that says a lot about his character,' she said. Marisol Ramos, the victims' mother, did not respond to phone calls from the Chronicle. She told Mission Local that she was cooking at a family member's home in Sacramento the day of the explosion when she learned the warehouse was on fire. Ramos and her husband rushed to the site, where they said fireworks were going off. Marisol Ramos told the news outlet that she encountered a man who was attempting to put the fire out and who heard people screaming inside the facility. Ruiz said they want answers from officials about the investigation and whether the warehouse was permitted to manufacture fireworks. A Cal Fire spokesperson said Monday that the two companies at the property, Devastating Pyrotechnics and Blackstar Fireworks, had state fireworks licenses and that the state marshal was verifying 'if the licensee was operating within the licensing requirements.' However, according to interviews and a Chronicle review of public records, the head of Devastating Pyrotechnics, 48-year-old Kenneth Chee, was denied a federal license to acquire or possess fireworks for reasons that weren't immediately clear. A vigil was scheduled for Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. at the parking lot of a Dollar General store in Esparto near the warehouse. A GoFundMe campaign was set up to pay for funeral costs and to support the Ramos family.
San Francisco Chronicle
05-07-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Oakland sees fivefold increase in fires over July Fourth, driven by illegal fireworks
Oakland saw a fivefold escalation of fires over the July Fourth holiday due to illegal fireworks, which kept firefighters racing across the city — but saw no human fatalities, a fire department spokesperson said Saturday. Two dogs died and one person was taken to the hospital with smoke inhalation when illegal fireworks sparked a dramatic house fire around 10:30 p.m. Friday, the Oakland Fire Department reported. More than 30 firefighters attacked that blaze, as flames leapt from a two-story residential duplex in the 1600 block of 78th Avenue. The first responders had the blaze under control by 11:14 p.m., the fire department posted on social media sites. That fire was one of 64 across the city on Independence Day — far more than the 12 to 15 that burn in Oakland over a typical 24-hour period, said fire department spokesperson Michael Hunt, adding that the increase was 'definitely' because of illegal fireworks. 'Anything over 20 is a very busy day. Over 30 would be exceptional,' Hunt said. Over 60 fires was 'extremely taxing.' Not all of the Oakland fires were connected to fireworks, including the largest blaze of the day: a four-alarm inferno that broke out around 5 p.m. at a warehouse on the 5200 block of East Eighth Street, about a mile north of the Oakland Coliseum. No injuries were reported. As soon as crews were released from that fire, they 'immediately began driving to a vegetation fire at the top of 98th Avenue that spread to about half an acre,' Hunt said. 'It just showed the relentlessness of the day.' On social media, the fire department thanked the often unrecognized groups that contributed to the unusual day, saying, 'Strong work by all our dispatchers, fire operations & emergency management personnel.' The growth in fire activity on the holiday capped what has been a tragic July Fourth season in the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Dozens of communities canceled their fireworks displays after a Yolo County fireworks warehouse blew up three days before the holiday. Some Bay Area communities canceled their sanctioned shows due to fire risk, while Lake Tahoe halted a show after a fireworks barge sank Thursday. It's unclear whether such cancellations lead more people to set off do-it-yourself fireworks celebrations, which are largely against the law in California. Fireworks without an 'Office of the State Fire Marshal Safe and Sane' seal on the package are illegal. Also, individual communities often ban the use or possession of fireworks altogether, with fines of up to $50,000 and a year in jail, according to the state's website. Still, many Californians visit Nevada to purchase fireworks and bring them back into the state in defiance of the prohibitions. California reports that even before the July Fourth season began, officials seized more than 600,000 pounds of illegal fireworks this year. In Oakland, all of the city's fire stations were fully staffed and operational, Hunt said, noting that the region took other steps to keep people safe. The city deployed roving fire engines patrolling the Oakland hills, which have a lot of dry vegetation, to immediately report any fire activity. And for the fourth year, Berkeley and the East Bay Regional Parks District closed off Grizzly Peak between Centennial Drive and Skyline Boulevard for 24 hours to reduce the possibility of illegal fireworks in that area.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Explosion' reported during fire at Hamer Pellet plant in Elkins
ELKINS, (WBOY) — Fire departments from several counties responded after a fire broke out in the Elkins Industrial Park on Wednesday. The fire was reported just before 4 p.m. at Hamer Pellet Fuel Co. plant. First responders said that there was heavy smoke when they arrived, and additional agencies were called to assist, according to a press release from the City of Elkins. No injuries or entrapments were reported from the fire, but the city said that an EMS unit did report an explosion during firefighting operations. The fire was extinguished before 8 p.m., the release said. Harrison County house catches fire for second time this year Preliminary investigation suggests that the cause of the fire was electrical, and the Office of the State Fire Marshal is leading an official investigation. Fire departments from Elkins, Beverly, Belington, Buckhannon and Coalton assisted in fighting the fire and engine transfer, and the Elkins Police Department, Randolph County Sheriff's Office, Randolph County Emergency Squad and West Virginia State Police provided additional support, the release said. In a Facebook post, the city thanked the first responders from other communities who helped during the fire. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
