On July 1, 2025, an illegal fireworks warehouse just south of Esparto, in rural Yolo County, exploded. The shaking could be felt as far as Davis, 20 miles away. The smoke plume could be seen for miles across the valley.
The blast flattened or nearly destroyed roughly a dozen buildings, bending the warehouse’s steel frame nearly flat and leaving only the brick fireplace of a house on the property. It also ignited a 78-acre fire. But the most severe consequence was the death of seven employees, including two teenage boys, of the San Francisco-based company that ran the site.
The explosion involved approximately 1 million pounds of illegal fireworks stored in the warehouse and shipping containers…