Human remains located after California fireworks warehouse explosion

In this image taken from video, smoke and flames rise from a fireworks warehouse explosion, July 1, 2025, in Esparto, Calif. (Hudson Sheats via AP)

Investigators have located human remains following an explosion at a Northern California fireworks warehouse, Yolo County said in a statement Friday.

Seven were missing after the Tuesday fireworks explosion near Esparto, which gripped the small farming community. It sparked a massive fire that led to other spot fires. Nearby Fourth of July celebrations were called off.

The county confirmed that its Coroner’s Division was allowed access to the site of the fire incident, and the Coroner’s Office has been in contact with the families of those who had been reported missing. No positive identifications have been made, and recovery efforts are still underway, the county said in the statement.

Two people were treated for injuries according to officials. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the blast.

The warehouse was managed by Devastating Pyrotechnics, which has more than three decades of experience designing and producing fireworks shows in the Bay Area, according to a screenshot of its website before it was taken down. The company, with headquarters in both San Francisco and Esparto, focuses mainly on display fireworks for big productions instead of those for retail. The company said in a statement it would cooperate fully with officials in their investigation.

Further south in the state, authorities said that one man was found dead on the scene after a “fireworks-related blaze” ripped through four homes in a Los Angeles neighborhood Thursday night. A woman was taken to the hospital in critical condition, four others were given treatment for smoke inhalation on the scene and several animals were injured, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement.

Fireworks were still erupting in the area when firefighters arrived at the blaze, which they brought under control later that night, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The cause of the fire is still being investigated, department spokesperson Lyndsey Lantz said.

Sejal Govindarao, The Associated Press