Yolo County officials aware of illegal fireworks at Esparto site years before explosion, grand jury says
A grand jury found a tolerated culture of code violations and enforcement gaps led to a 2025 fireworks explosion that killed seven workers and caused widespread damage.
7 Articles
7 Articles
Scathing report released on Yolo County fireworks warehouse disaster
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A grand jury released a scathing report detailing what led up to an explosion that killed seven workers "instantly" inside a warehouse in Yolo County. Many of the victims were San Francisco Bay Area residents, including the youngest victim, Jesus Manaces Ramos, 18, of San Pablo, who was working his first day on the job. On the evening of July 1, 2025, massive explosions and fires obliterated the property in Esparto, Calif…
Yolo County officials knew of Esparto fireworks businesses but didn't act, grand jury says
By Brandon Downs A Yolo County grand jury report about the 2025 Esparto fireworks explosion says that although numerous local officials “knew about the fireworks businesses, none of them took any action.” The explosion happened on July 1, 2025, at a site where officials said Devastating Pyrotechnics LLC and Blackstar Fireworks, Inc. manufactured and stored dangerous fireworks. The explosion killed seven workers. “Public records indicate that var…
Report: County leaders knew about illegal fireworks before Esparto explosion
A scathing report released by a Yolo County Grand Jury on Thursday found widespread lack of oversight and enforcement led to the deadly fireworks explosion last July that killed seven workers at a Yolo County warehouse. Among the dead, four had ties to the Bay Area. The jury said that public records indicate various top Yolo County officials “were aware of illegal fireworksoperations at the site for at least three years prior to the incident.” “…
Grand jury blasts ‘failure’ of Yolo County officials for deadly Esparto explosion
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Yolo County officials failed for years to shut down an illegal fireworks operation in Esparto despite repeated warning signs, a civil grand jury report released Thursday found, a lapse that preceded a July 1 explosion that killed…
Yolo County officials aware of illegal fireworks at Esparto site years before explosion, grand jury says
Top Yolo County officials were aware of illegal fireworks operations at the site of the deadly 2025 Esparto explosions for at least three years but “no code enforcement occurred,” according to a civil grand jury’s report.
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