Family members are still searching for answers following last week’s explosion at a fireworks warehouse in northern California. Authorities confirmed on Sunday that the remains of the seven people missing in the blast have been recovered.
Family and community members have confirmed five of the victims as Jesus Ramos, Jhony Ramos, Joel “Junior” Melendez, Angel Voller and Carlos Rodriguez. Two victims are still unidentified.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for brothers Jhony and Jesus Ramos. Jesus, the younger of the pair, was a soon-to-be father whose first day on the job coincided with the deadly explosion.
“He was excited to be a dad. Only two months and we were just waiting for this, a new opportunity, a new chapter. He saw it as a new chapter in our life,” Syanna Ruiz, Jesus Ramos’ girlfriend, told ABC10, Sacramento’s ABC affiliate. “He was excited.”
Joel Melendez’s mother told the same outlet that she remains without answers surrounding the explosion that claimed the life of her 28-year-old son, who was a father of one with another baby on the way.
“He’s my baby,” Lupe Melendez Mendoza told ABC10. “And I don’t know, I’m not getting answers. I don’t know where he’s at. I don’t know what happened. I just know that he loves his wife.”
All human remains have been recovered from the charred warehouse site, but the identities of the deceased were being withheld pending family notifications. Two people were treated for injuries following the blast in the town of Esparto, Yolo county officials said in a statement Sunday.
The warehouse was managed by Devastating Pyrotechnics, which has more than 30 years of experience designing and producing fireworks shows, according to a screenshot of its website before it was taken down.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community,” the company said in a statement last week. “Our focus will remain on those directly impacted by this tragedy, and we will cooperate fully with the proper authorities in their investigation.”
The wildfire covered nearly 80 acres (33 hectares) and scorched surrounding agricultural fields, officials said.
