Authorities are searching for seven people who are unaccounted for after an explosion at a fireworks warehouse in rural northern California sent thick plumes of black smoke into the air and forced evacuations, the California department of forestry and fire protection (Cal Fire) said on Wednesday.
The Tuesday evening blast, which set off a barrage of fireworks and caused a huge blaze that led to other spot fires and collapsed a building near Esparto, also resulted in power outages. People in the farming community about 40 miles (64km) north-west of Sacramento have been urged to avoid the area for several days.
“The fire will take time to cool, and once it does, explosive[s] experts must safely enter the site to assess and secure the area,” the Yolo county sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Seven people were not accounted for after the explosions and first responders are working to determine their whereabouts, said a Cal Fire update late Wednesday morning.
A woman who spoke with CBS News said her boyfriend and two brothers-in-law are missing.
“We last spoke to them around 2 or 3 when they were supposed to be leaving and then we found out about it through a report or something on Instagram and we came instantly,” she said. “Praying to God that they’re alive and maybe they just need medical attention.”
Yolo county authorities were alerted to the structure fire around 5.50pm. A local news helicopter flew to the area, where a plume of black smoke could be seen for miles. The flames ignited the fireworks, causing explosions in two other structures and several vehicles on the property.
Nearly 2,200 Pacific Gas & Electric customers were without power as a result of the explosions.
Curtis Lawrence, the Esparto fire protection district chief, said in a news conference just after 9pm on Tuesday that crews were extinguishing spot fires in the area.
The cause of the explosion was under investigation, the sheriff’s office said.
The fire was being held at nearly 80 acres (33 hectares) as of Wednesday morning after scorching surrounding agricultural fields, Cal Fire said.
“We do believe this location is owned by an active pyrotechnic license holder,” the deputy state fire marshal Kara Garrett told KXTV in Sacramento. She added: “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.”
Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said it was tracking what happened and that state ground and air resources were deployed.
“The State Fire Marshal has sent an arson and bomb investigation team, and stands ready to provide additional support as needed,” the governor’s office said on the social site X.
Residents in the area told CBS News that the two main explosions rattled windows. Some described it as akin to an earthquake, with explosions seemingly happening every five minutes.
Officials from the nearby Yuba and Sutter counties say fireworks that were intended to be used in Fourth of July shows for their communities were destroyed in the fire.
As a result, Marysville, Yuba City, Sutter county and Yuba county are all now reassessing their Fourth of July celebrations and whether fireworks will be part of them.
