Seven people are missing after a massive explosion at a warehouse in Northern California that sent bright fireworks across the area and ignited a brush fire.
The location was owned by an active pyrotechnics license holder, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Emergency crews are searching the property for the missing individuals, and investigators are also surveying the area with drones.
Initially, officials said the explosion was set off by fireworks stored in the warehouse, but they later clarified that the location was a pyrotechnics facility in the community of Esparto.
Residents in Esparto and Madison remain under an evacuation order as of Wednesday afternoon.
“There is a reduced risk today, but a risk that still remains,” Cal Fire said in a news release.
Officials are working to determine that everything done at the warehouse was in line with license requirements for a pyrotechnics facility.
“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.
The warehouse fire preceded the explosion in a pre-Fourth of July show. The explosion sent debris across the area that ignited multiple spot fires, according to officials.
A blaze ignited by the explosion, dubbed the Oakdale fire, started about 6 p.m. Tuesday in Esparto, about 35 miles northwest of Sacramento, authorities said.
The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office warned residents to avoid the area for several days while it investigates the cause of the blast.
“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 Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
Video of the warehouse where the explosion occurred showed plumes of thick black smoke emanating from the structure, and helicopter video from KCRA-TV showed a burning warehouse with bright sparks shooting out of the structure, followed by a large explosion.
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The fire started in a sparsely populated area in a warehouse and video shared on social media showed at least two noncommercial buildings burning in the blaze.
By Wednesday morning, the Oakdale fire was at 78 acres with no containment as it was burning in fire-friendly weather conditions.
Forecasts show the Esparto area will see temperatures reach up to 99 degrees with lows expected in the lower 60s, according to the National Weather Service. Above-normal temperatures are expected to linger through Wednesday, bringing moderate heat risks across the region.
The incident is the latest example of how quickly a fireworks mishap can turn from bad to worse.
In 2020, a couple set off a pyrotechnic during a gender-reveal party in San Bernardino County. The special occasion sparked a 22,000-acre fire that killed a U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighter, destroyed five homes and forced hundreds to evacuate.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
