Seven people are unaccounted for after a fire and a massive explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Northern California on Tuesday. Authorities issued a mandatory evacuation order near the location in Yolo County, west of Sacramento, after the explosion around 6pm Tuesday, CBS News reports. KCRA reports that the facility in the farming community of Esparto was "obliterated" by the blast, which ignited an 80-acre wildfire in surrounding fields and brush. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said emergency workers are using drones to try to find the missing people, the AP reports.
"The fire will take time to cool, and once it does, explosive experts must safely enter the site to assess and secure the area," the Yolo County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday night. On Wednesday, Chief Curtis Lawrence of the Esparto Fire Protection District said the area is now a debris field full of "large pieces of shrapnel," creating a "complex and risky scenario" too dangerous for emergency workers to enter, the New York Times reports. Syanna Ruiz tells KCRA that her boyfriend, 18-year-old Jesus Maneces Ramo, is among the missing. Ruiz says Tuesday was his first day working at the facility.
Authorities say that the property owner has an active pyrotechnics license and that the cause of the blast is being investigated, SFGate reports. "The State Fire Marshal has sent an arson and bomb investigation team, and stands ready to provide additional support as needed," Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said Tuesday. The Sacramento Bee reports that some communities in the area may have to cancel their Fourth of July fireworks shows because their fireworks were stored at the facility.
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