SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Rescue crews were searching on Thursday for seven people still missing days after an explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Northern California shook a tiny farming community and forced the cancellation of nearby July Fourth celebrations.
The barrage of fireworks that exploded Tuesday caused a massive blaze that led to other spot fires and collapsed the building in Yolo County about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Sacramento.
Family members gathered near a sheriff’s checkpoint about a mile from the blast site in rural Esparto, hoping for news about their loved ones. Syanna Ruiz, who is pregnant, said her boyfriend, 18-year-old Jesus Ramos, was working his first day at the warehouse when the explosion occurred. Ramos’ brothers, 22-year-old Johnny Ramos and 28-year-old Junior Melendez, were also missing, she said.
“I’m just praying to God that some way, somehow, they’re OK,” Ruiz told the Sacramento Bee on Wednesday.
Two people were treated for injuries, officials said. The cause of the explosion was under investigation.
Yolo County Undersheriff Matthew Davis asked family members for their patience during the slow process of making the smoldering site safe for searchers.
“We cannot move forward and risk injury to anyone else on the scene,” Davis said during a briefing Thursday afternoon. “We appreciate and understand how much you want answers, and we’re doing everything we can to bring you that.”
The warehouse was managed by Devastating Pyrotechnics, which has more than 30 years of experience designing and producing fireworks shows in the Bay Area, according to a screenshot of its website before it was taken down. The company, with headquarters in both San Francisco and Esparto, focuses mainly on display fireworks for big productions instead of those for retail.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community,” the company said in a statement. “Our focus will remain on those directly impacted by this tragedy, and we will cooperate fully with the proper authorities in their investigation.”
After Tuesday’s blast, officials in nearby Sutter and Yuba counties issued a statement calling the company “a trusted partner and a cherished part of our regional fireworks celebrations.”
Living near a fireworks warehouse always means a risk of fire and explosion, said fire investigator expert Richard Meier, but it is especially dangerous when it involves fireworks for large shows.
“You don’t want to live in the house right next door,” he said, adding that such large fireworks can “shoot a quarter of a mile or more.”
Meier said anything from a nearby brushfire to workers using equipment that were potential ignition sources could have triggered the explosion. Fireworks being stored too closely in large quantity also could have contributed to the scale of the blast.
The company’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond to question about whether the business was manufacturing fireworks on-site or how many fireworks were stored at the facility.
Authorities were working with the property’s owner and monitoring the area using drones to find the missing people as small explosions continued late Wednesday, said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
The fire was held at nearly 80 acres (33 hectares) after scorching surrounding agricultural fields, officials said.
“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,” Cal Fire said.
Nisa Gutierrez told the Sacramento CBS affiliate KOVR-TV that the blast was so strong it blew open the doors of her home, damaging the door frames.
She and her daughter were in their yard and were nearly knocked over as their pony and goats scattered.
“We hear like a big boom, and feel the wave,” Gutierrez said. “I thought it was a bomb.”
Crews including a team with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were working to enable safe access to the site “to conduct recovery operations and bolster investigative efforts for the explosion investigation,” the statement said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said it was tracking what happened and that state ground and air resources were deployed.
Officials in nearby Sutter and Yuba counties announced Wednesday that they were exploring alternatives for Fourth of July celebrations after their fireworks were destroyed in the blast.
“This tragic incident is a sobering reminder of the many hands behind the scenes who help create joy for others,” they said in a statement.
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Weber reported from Los Angeles.
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