The California Fire Department’s office searched its San Francisco home on Tuesday.
Seven people died on July 1 in a small farming community in Esparto, about 80 miles north of the Bay Area. The deaths were drawn from a warehouse run by catastrophic fireworks, a San Francisco-based business known for hosting firework shows for municipalities throughout the region.
On Tuesday, officials from the California Department of Forestry and Forestry Fire Department searched a home in San Francisco’s internal Richmond area, according to news station KPIX. The home is registered in the state’s fireworks wholesaler database as the company’s mailing address for catastrophic fireworks and its chief executive, Kenneth Chie.
They were joined by Yolo and Sacramento counties sheriff officials along with San Francisco police officers, the station reported. Local news outlet Hoodline reports that members of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad also attended during the search of the house.
“Investigators are actively tracking many leads and serving multiple search warrants as part of the investigation process,” a former California Fire Department spokesman said in a statement. “We cannot provide additional details at this time, but please be aware that we are committed to conducting a thorough and comprehensive investigation.”
A spokesperson for Europe County said he would not comment due to the ongoing investigation.
The seven people who died in the warehouse have not been officially identified, but the family has moved forward, and many say they are working part-time for the devastating fireworks tasked with packing the fireworks that follow the weekend of July 4th.
Esparto firefighters were notified of a kind of emergency in the warehouse on July 1st before 6pm. Fireworks fired from the building before a large explosion ripped through the warehouse.
Chee’s lawyer Douglas Horngrad said in a statement that his client was “innocent of misconduct.” We will refrain from further public comment until the investigation is complete.
On Monday, emergency authorities said they were moving from the recovery phase surrounding the incident. Authorities are currently focusing on the law enforcement phase of the investigation.
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