Expert says a lengthy clean up process lies ahead after firework facility explosion in Esparto
KCRA 3 spoke with an expert who said the explosions likely left behind a lot of hazardous material coming from the chemicals inside of the fireworks.
SAY THE CLEANUP COULD TAKE A WHILE. IT WAS A DEAFENING BOOM. MAYBE A BOMB HAD GONE OFF. IT WAS AS LOUD AN EXPLOSION AS I’VE EVER HEARD. WE CAME OUTSIDE AND WE SAW THE PLUME AND THERE WAS ANOTHER EXPLOSION. AND THAT’S WHEN WE REALIZED THIS IS PROBABLY THE WORST THING WE’VE EVER SEEN IN OUR LIFE. THIS WAS THE VIEW FROM TOM GRIFFIN AND JAMIE MARKS HOUSE ON TUESDAY EVENING, AS THEY WATCHED EXPLOSION AFTER EXPLOSION FROM ABOUT HALF A MILE AWAY. IT’S SO CLOSE THAT IF IT WAS REALLY WINDY, THIS WHOLE AREA, THIS WHOLE VALLEY WOULD HAVE GONE UP. CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR PROPERTY, TOM STAYED UP LATE, WATCHING THROUGH THE NIGHT EVEN AS LATE AS 1030, THERE’D STILL BE OCCASIONAL FIRECRACKERS GOING OFF. AND THOSE POP POP, POP POP, POP KIND OF SOUND. BY MORNING, SIGNS OF THE EXPLOSION HAD MADE IT TO THEIR BACKYARD IN THE MORNING. THERE WAS EMBERS IN THE PAPER THAT YOU SEE WITH FIRECRACKERS ON OUR PATIO HERE. IT WAS ON THE GRASS. AND THAT’S THE THING IS, IF IT’S ON THE GRASS, YOU START TO THINK, OKAY, YOU KNOW, THIS COULD HAVE STARTED A FIRE. THAT EXPANSIVE DEBRIS FIELD EXPERTS SAY WILL TAKE A WHILE TO CLEAN UP. IT’S JUST GOING TO BE JUST AS HAZARDOUS AFTER THE FACT. RAY VILLANUEVA WORKS FOR CATALYST ENVIRONMENTAL, A REMEDIATION COMPANY THAT DEALS WITH CONTAMINATED SOIL. HE SAYS THERE’S A LOT TO CONSIDER WHEN IT COMES TO THE CHEMICALS USED INSIDE OF FIREWORKS. WHAT HAPPENS IS WHEN THE FIREWORKS DISPERSE, WHEN THEN A LOT OF THESE THINGS COMBINE IN A SITUATION LIKE THAT, FIRE. THERE IS A LOT OF MATERIALS THAT WERE BLOWING NEXT TO EACH OTHER AND COMBINING AND THEN FALLING TO THE GROUND, WHICH IS WHY HE SAYS THERE WILL LIKELY BE A LOT OF SOIL SAMPLING IN THE COMING DAYS. THERE’S NO QUESTION ABOUT IT. THERE’S TOO MANY CHEMICALS. TOM AND JAMIE SAY THEY UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN AS THEY WATCH FROM AFAR, WITH BLACK SMOKE STILL RISING FROM THE HORIZON TODAY. AND THAT EXPERT WE TALKED TO, HE SAYS, IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR PROPERTY, HE SAYS IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO WET THINGS DOWN, ESPECIALLY IF IT’S REALLY WINDY, AND MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING HAZARDOUS IS BLOWING AROUND IN THAT WIND. AS FOR PHYSICAL DEBRIS ITEMS, HE SAYS YOU CAN LIKELY GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR LOCAL REGULATORY AGENCY AND THEY CAN HELP YOU CLEAN THOSE UP. WEARING THE RIGHT PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT. LIVE IN ESPARTA. PEYTON HEADLEE KCRA THREE NEWS. YOU GOT TO W
Expert says a lengthy clean up process lies ahead after firework facility explosion in Esparto
KCRA 3 spoke with an expert who said the explosions likely left behind a lot of hazardous material coming from the chemicals inside of the fireworks.
A lengthy cleanup process still lies ahead after a fireworks facility caught fire and exploded on Tuesday in Esparto.KCRA 3 spoke with an expert who said the explosions likely left behind a lot of hazardous material coming from the chemicals inside the fireworks.MORE | What we know about the Esparto fireworks facility fireRay Villanueva is a project manager for Catalyst Environmental, a remediation company that deals with contaminated soil. He said this scene will be just as hazardous even in the days following the explosions. “We want to make sure that the proper environmental procedures and control efforts are put in place right away,” Villanueva said. He said that a thorough clean-up is especially important with the amount of chemicals that fireworks contain. “There is a lot of different chemicals that are involved. And then what happens is when the fireworks disperse, then a lot of these things combine. In a situation like that fire, there is a lot of materials that were blowing next to each other and combining and creating things like nitric oxide, which is bad for the skin, things of that sort,” he said. In the coming days, he said he expects there will be a lot of soil sampling to determine contamination levels. PHOTOS | Before and after images show devastation left by Esparto fireworks facility fire“It seems like it’s a very large area and it seems like it is everywhere at the moment. And that’s why sampling is so important to corner off those areas to find out. These are the areas we need to concentrate in,” he said. If you’re concerned about your property, he said it’s a good idea to wet things down, especially if it’s really windy, to make sure hazardous materials are not blowing around. As for physical debris items, he said you can likely get in touch with your local regulatory agency and they can safely remove the items. “It’s all about safety first. I just want to make sure it doesn’t, you know, get any more damaging than what it has already become,” he said. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
ESPARTO, Calif. —A lengthy cleanup process still lies ahead after a fireworks facility caught fire and exploded on Tuesday in Esparto.
KCRA 3 spoke with an expert who said the explosions likely left behind a lot of hazardous material coming from the chemicals inside the fireworks.
MORE | What we know about the Esparto fireworks facility fire
Ray Villanueva is a project manager for Catalyst Environmental, a remediation company that deals with contaminated soil. He said this scene will be just as hazardous even in the days following the explosions.
“We want to make sure that the proper environmental procedures and control efforts are put in place right away,” Villanueva said.
He said that a thorough clean-up is especially important with the amount of chemicals that fireworks contain.
“There is a lot of different chemicals that are involved. And then what happens is when the fireworks disperse, then a lot of these things combine. In a situation like that fire, there is a lot of materials that were blowing next to each other and combining and creating things like nitric oxide, which is bad for the skin, things of that sort,” he said.
In the coming days, he said he expects there will be a lot of soil sampling to determine contamination levels.
PHOTOS | Before and after images show devastation left by Esparto fireworks facility fire
“It seems like it’s a very large area and it seems like it is everywhere at the moment. And that’s why sampling is so important to corner off those areas to find out. These are the areas we need to concentrate in,” he said.
If you’re concerned about your property, he said it’s a good idea to wet things down, especially if it’s really windy, to make sure hazardous materials are not blowing around.
As for physical debris items, he said you can likely get in touch with your local regulatory agency and they can safely remove the items.
“It’s all about safety first. I just want to make sure it doesn’t, you know, get any more damaging than what it has already become,” he said.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
