An explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Northern California caused a massive blaze that led to evacuations after the pyrotechnics began detonating in the air, scattering debris and creating a huge smoky fireball, according to officials and footage taken at the scene.
The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that the warehouse, located in Esparto, a town about 40 kilometres northwest of Sacramento, had exploded and continued to burn through the night.
“There is still an active evacuation zone in place around the property, and it will likely remain in effect throughout the night,” the office said.
Esparto Fire Protection District Chief Curtis Lawrence could not confirm to reporters if there were any injuries as of Tuesday night.
“Everything is very preliminary right now,” he said.
According to NBC, firefighters responded to the blaze at about 5:50 p.m., and found “a few commercial buildings well-involved, as well as numerous explosions and numerous spot fires throughout the area,” Lawrence said.
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People were urged to avoid the area for several days following the blast, which led to other spot fires and the collapse of the warehouse.
“The fire will take time to cool, and once it does, explosive experts must safely enter the site to assess and secure the area,” the Facebook post said, before urging people to stay away from the area.
The fire was held at nearly 80 acres (33 hectares) as of Wednesday morning after scorching surrounding agricultural fields, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
“We do believe this location is owned by an active pyrotechnic license holder,” Deputy State Fire Marshal Kara Garrett told KXTV in Sacramento.
She added, “This type of incident is very rare, as facilities like this are required to not only follow our stringent California pyrotechnic requirements, but also federal explosive storage requirements.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said it was tracking what happened and that state ground and air resources were deployed.
“The State Fire Marshal has sent an arson and bomb investigation team, and stands ready to provide additional support as needed,” the governor’s office said on the social site X.
— With files from The Associated Press
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