A Northern California pyrotechnics company has revealed that an unknown number of its workers perished in the explosion of a fireworks warehouse earlier this week, which caused a wildfire and forced neighboring communities to evacuate for days.
Devastating Pyrotechnics said in a statement on Wednesday night that seven of its employees were missing from their warehouse in Esporto, which is located roughly 40 miles northwest of Sacramento.
The corporation released a statement saying, “Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community.” Those who have been directly affected by this tragedy will continue to be our top priority, and we will assist the appropriate authorities in their investigation.
Officials have not yet confirmed that anyone had been killed in the explosion as of Thursday morning.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is one of the federal, state, and municipal authorities looking into what caused the huge explosion. Additionally, authorities are investigating whether the facility complied with the regulations to function as a pyrotechnics facility.
Additionally, it sparked the Oakdale fire, which as of Thursday morning had burnt 78 acres and was 60% contained.
According to the Sacramento Bee, Syanna Ruiz stated that her 18-year-old boyfriend, Jesus Ramos, was employed at the warehouse on Tuesday when the fire broke out. Ruiz told the newspaper that among the missing were the stepbrother and brother of her boyfriend.
However, officials stated that as of Thursday, the risk of unexploded pyrotechnics still prevented teams from entering and conducting a thorough examination of the scene. In order for investigators to conduct a search, the Esparto Fire Protection District was attempting to provide secure access to the site.
