Seven people are missing after a fireworks warehouse near Esparto, Calif., caught fire Tuesday evening, which led to several explosions and multiple spot fires across 80 acres.
The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office reported Wednesday that the cause of the explosion remains unknown and that it’s still an active evacuation zone around the property. Footage of the area shows a destroyed facility.
“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 Yolo County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook. “We strongly urge everyone to continue avoiding the area for the next several days so that fire crews, law enforcement, and emergency personnel can do their jobs safely and effectively.”
The Esparto Fire Protection District and CAL Fire said Wednesday that seven people remain unaccounted for and that first responders and investigators are “working diligently” to find them.
Esparto Fire Protection District Chief Curtis Lawrence had no comment Tuesday night on whether there were any reported injuries. He said “multiple” structures were impacted, but he didn’t have an exact number. As of Tuesday night, there was no criminal investigation.
Some people told CBS Sacramento that they had family members who they believed were inside the warehouse at the time of the fire, and they had not been able to get in contact with them.
Syanna Ruiz told KCRA that her boyfriend was working in the facility and she hopes that he is OK.
CAL Fire stated that they believe a pyrotechnic license holder owns the warehouse. As part of the investigation, CAL Fire will ensure the warehouse was operating in accordance with its license requirements.
“This type of incident is very rare, as facilities like this are required to not only follow our stringent California pyrotechnics requirements, but also federal explosive storage requirements,” CAL Fire said in a news release.
The city of San Jose and the Cloverdale Lions Club both announced Wednesday that their Fourth of July fireworks shows are canceled because the fireworks they planned to use were destroyed in the fire. Officials in the Yuba-Sutter area are deciding how to proceed with their planned Fourth of July celebrations.