ESPARTO, Calif. — Seven people were missing Wednesday following an explosion at a fireworks warehouse in rural Northern California that caused a massive fire that spread to farm fields and forced evacuations in the surrounding community, authorities said.

Emergency crews and investigators were working with the property’s owner and monitoring the area using drones to find the individuals, said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

It was not immediately clear if those missing worked at the warehouse or lived nearby.


What You Need To Know

  • Fireworks-related injuries increased 52% in 2024 compared with a year earlier, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
  • In 2024, 14,700 people were treated in emergency rooms for fireworks injuries
  • A new analysis of 2024 CPSC fireworks safety data from the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory finds consumers who use illegal fireworks are most at risk of ending their Fourth of July celebrations with a trip to the emergency room
  • About 37% of fireworks injuries last year were burns; 22% were injuries to the head, face and ears; and 36% were to the hands and fingers

People were urged to avoid the area after the Tuesday night blast, which set off a barrage of fireworks and caused a huge blaze that led to other spot fires and collapsed the building near Esparto in Yolo County about 40 miles northwest of Sacramento.

The cause of the explosion was under investigation.

“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 in a statement late Tuesday.

The fire was held at nearly 80 acres as of Wednesday morning after scorching surrounding agricultural fields, officials said.

The property is owned by "an active pyrotechnic license holder,” Cal Fire said in a statement Wednesday. “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.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said it was tracking what happened and that state ground and air resources were deployed.

“The State Fire Marshal has sent an arson and bomb investigation team, and stands ready to provide additional support as needed,” the governor's office said on the social site X.

Officials in nearby Sutter and Yuba counties announced Wednesday that they were exploring alternatives for Fourth of July celebrations after their fireworks were destroyed in the blast.