Less than three weeks before a deadly explosion in Esparto, the company that operated the fireworks compound in the small town about 40 minutes from Sacramento tried to claw back tons of fireworks seized by law enforcement in Southern California, citing its close relationship with the Yolo County Sheriff’s department, according to an email from the company’s attorney.
The company, Devastating Pyrotechnics, openly acknowledged ownership of the seized contraband fireworks and argued it should be allowed to transfer them to Esparto, shedding new light on how it used its connections with local enforcement to give cover to its business selling and storing illegal fireworks and explosives.
The email is also a further indication that, despite previous claims, the state office responsible for policing the fireworks industry was aware that some of the explosives seized in Southern California belonged to Devastating Pyrotechnics, weeks before the explosion on the company’s Esparto compound killed seven workers there.
The June 12 email from Sam O’Keefe, the attorney for Devastating Pyrotechnics owner Kenneth Chee, proposed that the company be allowed to remove 3,600 cases of seized fireworks O’Keefe said belonged to them, and transport them to Esparto…