Answers Sought about Deadly Esparto, CA, Fireworks Factory Blast
Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.)
(TNS)
Authorities said Monday that they expect to identify, by Wednesday, the remains of seven people likely killed in last week’s fireworks warehouse explosion near Esparto.
But, nearly a week after the blast, local officials offered few new details about why the facility in the farmlands of western Yolo County burst into flames, deferring most questions to state fire investigators, whose representatives did not attend Monday’s briefing.
“We are working — continuing to work — and working throughout the day to ensure there are not additional victims,” Yolo County Undersheriff Matt Davis said. “While we have no information to believe that there are, we’re going to make sure, with every available resource, that no stone is left unturned.”
“The DNA process will start shortly,” he said of the seven sets of remains found Friday and Saturday. “We expect to have that in the next 48 hours.”
Beyond that, local officials cited the ongoing criminal investigation led by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as Cal-OSHA and others, are also investigating what unfolded in the late afternoon July 1. Questions about companies, personnel remain
Authorities declined to answer questions posed by residents living near the property at 26450 County Road 23, family members of the victims and the media about the blast.
Davis, meanwhile, said the Sheriff’s Office was in close contact with the families and would release names after formal identification and next-of-kin notification.
Questions about whether the facility was properly permitted and inspected, and the extent to which officials knew about the materials held on the property belonging to a Sheriff’s Office deputy injured in Tuesday’s blast remain unanswered.
Davis declined to comment on the condition or employment status of the deputy — identified in public records as Lt. Sam Machado. Davis called it a personnel matter.
Esparto Fire Chief Curtis Lawrence said Monday that one of his volunteer firefighters, identified as Craig Cutright, was on a leave of absence amid reports he worked for one or both of the fireworks companies that used the property.
Lawrence said that he had personal contact with Cutright, calling him “a brother in our service,” but declined to answer questions about his involvement or whether he had been injured or at the scene when the blast occurred.
“At the beginning of the incident, I did have contact with our volunteer firefighter because he is a brother in our service, and it’s somebody in our community,” Lawrence told reporters when pressed on the matter. “And so, we have had support conversations with him just to make sure that him and his family were OK.”
Beyond that, Lawrence said that the Esparto fire district has had no investigative contact with Cutright, emphasizing that the agency has recused itself to avoid conflicts of interest. He again pointed to the State Fire Marshal as the investigative lead.
The explosion occurred on Tuesday at a facility near County Road 23 and County Road 86A, igniting a series of fires that charred 78 acres and destroyed multiple structures, including at least two homes. Over the weekend, authorities used controlled detonations to neutralize remaining live explosives scattered across the site.
Lawrence, Esparto’s fire chief, said his agency’s role was winding down.
“We are slowly transitioning into a law enforcement–based incident,” he said. “The Office of the State Fire Marshal is the lead on this investigation.”
Officials faced pointed questions about potential conflicts of interest, permitting and whether the facility had been inspected. Lawrence said again his department had conducted “site visits” to familiarize responders with the facility, but stressed those were not safety inspections.
Local officials declined to answer further, citing the state investigation.
“This is a very complicated incident and investigation,” Lawrence said. “We have an obligation to protect the integrity of this process.”
The state fire marshal, Daniel Berlant, told The Sacramento Bee on Sunday that his investigators were looking into “where and how the initial explosion occurred.”
“Our work will expand in the coming days to determine whether the operator had all the necessary licenses and permits,” Berlant said Sunday. “It is too early in the investigation to confirm whether any violations resulted in this tragedy, but we are dedicating our Arson & Bomb Investigation team to assist Esparto Fire Protection District in investigating the explosion.”
Berlant said that the Cal Fire division’s initial understanding was that “the location did not have the necessary local permits, and through our own investigation we are working to confirm that.”
He added that state law and fireworks regulations require any person who is “storing fireworks to have a valid permit from the local authority having jurisdiction. The county of Yolo should be able to confirm this for you.”
State Fire Marshal’s officials also told The Sacramento Bee that two licensed pyrotechnics companies were operating at the site: Devastating Pyrotechnics and Blackstar Fireworks. Devastating Pyrotechnics holds three licenses — importer/exporter, wholesaler, and public display operator — while Blackstar holds a general public display license.
The night of the blast, Cutright told ABC10 in text messages that he was the owner of Blackstar but denied responsibility for the inferno, laying the blame on Devastating’s products. Cutright denied he was involved with Devastating’s operations. Public bid invitations and proposals spanning years, however, link him to the company. A 2021 interview with KTVU in Oakland with Cutright described him as the senior show producer for Devastating.
Calls and messages to Cutright have not been returned. Devastating owner denied federal permit
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the owner of Devastating — Kenneth Chee, 48, a San Francisco optometrist who worked for Costco in the San Jose area — was denied a federal explosives license because of past criminal history after he served time in San Quentin after being convicted of firing a weapon from a vehicle in 1998.
A review of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives permits by The Bee showed the agency had instead provided a license to another man, Gary Chan Jr. of San Francisco, in connection with Devastating.
An attorney representing Devastating has said he would not answer questions about the company or who controlled it but said Devastating would “cooperate fully with the proper authorities in their investigation.”
The absence of state fire officials drew criticism during the 18-minute news conference Monday a few yards from the parcel that housed Devastating, Blackstar and a gun shop operated by Machado. County spokesperson Laura Galindo confirmed the agency had been invited but offered no explanation for their absence.
A spokesperson for the fire marshal’s office said its personnel were “focused on investigating where and how the initial explosion occurred.”
“Our work will expand in the coming days to determine whether the operator had all the necessary licenses and permits,” said Deputy State Fire Marshal Kara Garrett. “It is too early in the investigation to confirm whether any violations resulted in this tragedy, but we are dedicating our Arson & Bomb Investigation team to assist Esparto Fire Protection District in investigating the explosion.”
Still, she said that state fire officials “have an absolute zero tolerance towards the illegal use, transportation, and possession of illegal fireworks.”
“In California, we have some of the most stringent pyrotechnic laws and regulations and take very seriously anyone attempting to put the public in danger by not following these requirements.”The Bee’s Sharon Bernstein and Daniel Hunt contributed to this story.
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