Human remains found inside Yolo County fireworks warehouse after massive explosion
Human remains found at site of fireworks explosion
Seven bodies have been found inside a fireworks' storage warehouse that was destroyed by an explosion in rural Yolo County.
ESPARTO, Calif. - Human remains were found inside a fireworks' storage warehouse in rural Yolo County, officials announced on Friday, three days after a massive explosion occurred inside the facility.
No positive identifications made yet
Yolo County officials say crews from the coroner's office searched the site and located the remains, but no positive identifications were made, and it's unclear how many people's remains were found, even though seven people were declared officially unaccounted for.
What they're saying:
Mother Marisol Ramos fears she lost her three boys in the Esparto fireworks explosion in Yolo County. July 3, 2025
"It's hard. It's hard," said Marisol Ramos, whose two sons are among the seven. "Something deep inside of me is telling me to recognize that there is something wrong, that they're not here."
Ramos has been camped out near the site since Tuesday – when the explosion occured inside the one-story building on Country Road 23 about 6 p.m. – waiting for any news on her sons, Jesus Ramos, 18, and John Ramos, 22, as well as her husband's son, Joel Melendez Jr., 28.
"It hurts," she said on Friday. "Sometimes I just feel like i have no more tears."
Ramos says she and her family submitted DNA to authorities on Thursday, in hopes of identifying any remains that are found.
"They say they've got to still do a big job to recognize the bodies," Ramos said. They've got I believe everybody's DNA, that's what they told us yesterday. So once they get everything together, then they're going to start calling families."
Yolo County officials confirm recovery efforts will continue through the holiday weekend.
(From L-R) Jesus Ramos, 28; John Ramos22; and Joel Jr. Melendez, 28, all worked for Devastating Pyrotechnics in Esparto, Yolo County, when an explosion hit the fireworks storage warehouse they were working in on July 1, 2025.
Frustrations with information
Many have been frustrated with the lack of information they say has been coming from investigators, and were asking why it had taken so long to enter the property,
But Maria Melendez, the pregnant wife of the oldest brother, Jr. Melendez, said that she was told by officials about the human remains on Thursday.
"It was minimal information," she said. "But it was just enough."
Melendez said that she "already knows" what the outcome for her husband and the others will be, and at this point, she wants to be able to say goodbye formally.
A GoFundMe was set up to help her with her 11-month-old son, and her baby, when it is born.
Another GoFundMe was established for Jesus and John Ramos.
The fates of the four others who are unaccounted for also haven't been revealed.
An orange plume of smoke and fire billow from a fireworks explosion at a plant in Esparto, Calif. July 1, 2025.
CalFire leading investigation
It's unclear why the fireworks warehouse exploded into a ball of flames, sending bright plumes of fire and smoke high into the sky this week.
Bomb investigators from Cal Fire and the Office of the State Fire Marshal are officially leading the investigation.
Sacramento TV station KCRA3 reported that the facility was zoned for agricultural use, not for storing fireworks.
KTVU reached out to Devastating Pyrotechnics and received a response from Douglas Horngrad, a lawyer representing the company and its owner, Kenneth Chee.
"We sympathize with those affected by this tragedy. We share their grief," Horngrad said. "I do represent Mr Chee. The facts will show that he is innocent of any wrongdoing. While the case is under investigation, we are deferring all such questions to the proper authorities. Until that investigation is complete, we will have no further public comment."
IF YOU'D LIKE TO HELP: GoFundMe accounts have been started for some of the men who are presumed dead inside. One is for Joel "Jr." Melendez, who has a pregnant wife and 11-month-old baby. The other is for his two stepbrothers, John Ramos, 18, who leaves behind a pregnant girlfriend, and Jesus Ramos, 22.
Two men hug in grief at the site of the fireworks warehouse explosion in Esparto, Yolo County. July 3, 2025. Photo: KCRA
No one is allowed into the fireworks warehouse site in Esparto, Yolo County. July 1, 2025
An explosion occurred at a fireworks explosion facility near County Road 23 and County Road 86A in Yolo County. July 1, 2025. Photo: KCRA chopper
An aerial view from KCRA chopper of the fireworks storage facility in Esparto after a July 1, 2025 explosion.