A fire broke out at a fireworks warehouse in Esparto, Yolo County, on Tuesday evening due to an explosion ahead of July Fourth celebrations. The first explosion occurred shortly before 6 PM, igniting multiple explosions and engulfing several buildings. This caused a brush fire and prompted evacuations south of Highway 16. The facility reportedly holds a pyrotechnic license and is involved in the import and export of fireworks. Power outages affected approximately 2,200 customers in the area. Authorities are investigating the incident's cause and potential compliance with safety regulations.
"We do believe this location is owned by an active pyrotechnic license holder, and as part of our investigation, we will be working to determine that everything happening at the facility was within our license requirements."
"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."
Daniel Berlant, Cal Fire's State Fire Marshal, confirmed that the facility was "involved in importing and exporting fireworks and commercial fireworks."
The explosions and conflagration were like nothing he'd ever seen in 20 years of firefighting.
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