- The explosion occurred in a rural town in Yolo County, causing an impromptu pyrotechnic view.
- Several surrounding structures were ignited while approximately 80 acres burned, and homes in the surrounding area experienced rattles similar to those in an earthquake.
- Aerial and ground resources were deployed by California authorities. No injuries or fatalities have been reported and the initial cause is still unknown.
Sudden flames ignited a warehouse storing fireworks in rural Northern California, causing an explosion with an impromptu pyrotechnic display ahead of the Fourth of July.
The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon, around 5:50 p.m. in the rural town of Esparto, Yolo County, per CBS.
Local NBC affiliate KCRA 3 News captured live one of the big explosions. The warehouse can be seen on fire with black fumes moments before the firework display.
The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office immediately evacuated the surrounding area, CBS reported. The Esparto Fire Protection District said the fire caught several structures on fire and burned approximately 80 acres.
On a post on X, the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection along with the Office of Emergency Services had deployed air and ground resources.
Esparto is a farming community 35 miles northwest of Sacramento. The First Alert Weather Team from CBS Sacramento confirmed the smoke reached heights between 10,000 to 15,000 feet in elevation.
Kent Porter, a photojournalist for local paper the Press Democrat, was on assignment in the Sacramento Valley when the warehouse caught fire. He captured a big explosion 15 minutes after arriving.
Porter’s photograph provides a surreal, boots-on-the-ground perspective of the magnitude of the explosion. A firefighter running away from the explosion and toward the fire truck can be seen in the picture.
Residents in the area told CBS Sacramento that windows in their homes “were rattled by at least two distinct explosions.” They likened the shaking of their houses to an earthquake, with explosions occurring roughly every five minutes.
The incident left nearly 2,200 Pacific Gas and Electric customers without power.
“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,” Kara Garrett, deputy state fire marshal, said, according to ABC.
Echoing Garrett’s words, Daniel Berlant, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection‘s fire marshal, said he’s never seen anything like this incident during his 20 or so years in the state.
The incident temporarily halts celebrations
According to ABC, public officials said fireworks intended for Yuba City, Marysville, and Sutter and Yuba counties were destroyed in the fire.
“At this time, we cannot confirm whether the fireworks portion of the event will move forward, but we are working diligently on a Plan B that would still allow the community to come together in a safe and meaningful way,” the coalition of officials for the region said in a statement.
As of Wednesday morning, there have been no reports of injuries or deaths and the cause of the explosion is unknown. Additionally, both evacuation orders were downgraded and residents were allowed to go back to their homes.