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Remains of Missing Workers Recovered From Exploded California Fireworks Warehouse

The recovery follows controlled operations at the unlicensed Esparto facility, triggering an investigation into zoning safety lapses that allowed illegal fireworks storage.

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Traffic on Interstate 80 in San Pablo, California, US, on Thursday, July 3, 2025. About 61.6 million Americans will drive this Independence Day holiday, up 2.2% over last year, according to AAA. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Overview

  • Yolo County Coroner’s Division teams accessed the Devastating Pyrotechnics warehouse on July 4–5 and recovered the remains of the seven workers missing since the July 1 explosion.
  • CAL FIRE arson and bomb investigators are leading a search for causes, managing lingering hotspots and undetonated fireworks at the Esparto site.
  • Local officials have maintained a controlled one-mile perimeter, conducting gradual recovery operations to prevent accidental detonation of remaining pyrotechnics.
  • County reviews found the rural warehouse lacked required conditional use permits, signage and zoning clearance for fireworks storage, revealing regulatory failures.
  • This week’s blasts—including deadly residential explosions in Simi Valley, Hayward and Pacoima—have killed four people, critically injured others and prompted renewed warnings against private fireworks use across California.