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Officials in Northern California’s European County say seven people have gone missing after a major explosion at a fireworks display that caused an 80-acre wildfire.
The exact cause of the Tuesday night’s explosion in a warehouse in Esparto, a rural area about 40 miles northwest of Sacramento, is under investigation, Cal Fire said in a news release.
The explosion caused a massive fire, causing other spot fires in the farmland and fields surrounding the area, causing the collapse of the warehouse itself.
The owner of the property, which holds an “active fireworks license,” reportedly worked with emergency crews looking for seven unwritten individuals, both on land and on drones for aviation surveillance.
It was not immediately clear whether the missing person worked at the facility or a resident who lived nearby.
On Tuesday, July 1, 2025, fireworks exploded in a fireworks warehouse near Esparto, California (Kent Porter/Press Democrat via the AP)
While the flames were contained, the European County Sheriff’s Office urged residents to avoid the area.
“The fire will take time to cool down, and once it is, explosive experts will need to enter the site safely to assess and ensure the area,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “We are urging everyone to continue to avoid the area for the next few days so that firefighters, law enforcement and paramedics can work safely and effectively.”
Two brothers reported deaths from a California highway were overlooked.
Cal Fire officials said the investigation will focus on ensuring everything happening in the warehouse before the explosion is within state and federal licensing requirements.
“This type of incident is extremely rare because facilities like this need to follow not only our strict California fireworks requirements, but also federal explosive storage requirements,” the official said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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