Fireworks Warehouse Explosion Victims Included 4 From Bay Area. Here’s What We Know

Four Bay Area residents were identified Friday as victims of a deadly explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Yolo County last week.

Neil Justin Li, 41, and Christopher Goltiao Bocog, 45, of San Francisco, as well as brothers Jesus Manaces Ramos, 18, and Jhony Ernesto Ramos, 22, of San Pablo, were among seven victims named by the Yolo County coroner’s office. The three others killed in the blast were Joel Jeremias Melendez, 28, of Sacramento; Angel Mathew Voller, 18, of Stockton; and Carlos Javier Rodriguez-Mora, 43, of San Andreas.

The July 1 blast, which released a mushroom cloud of explosives, debris and smoke and started a fire that spread for nearly 80 acres, is believed to have originated at the Esparto warehouse where the San Francisco-based company Devastating Pyrotechnics stored fireworks.

In the days since, local and state officials have been working to determine how the “very rare” incident began.

“I have not seen anything like this,” Esparto Fire Protection District Chief Curtis Lawrence said at a news conference the day after the explosion. “This is obviously an incident of great magnitude.”

In the weeks since, details have been slowly coming to light.

Here’s what we know so far about the explosion and the ongoing investigation.

The explosion

On the evening of July 1, the Esparto Fire Protection District and Cal Fire crews responded to reports of a potential fire and explosion at a commercial warehouse near County Roads 23 and 86A, about three miles west of Interstate 505.

Lawrence said the department arrived around 6 p.m. and worked to put out the blaze into the night. The incident prompted multi-day evacuation orders, and seven people were reported missing.

On July 5, Yolo County sheriff’s officials announced they had found the bodies of the seven individuals, multiple of whom had already been identified by relatives, including Jesus and Jhony Ramos, Contra Costa County residents who formerly attended school in San Francisco.

“We are deeply saddened to learn that two SFUSD alumni are impacted by the explosion at the fireworks factory in Yolo County. Our thoughts are with their family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time,” the San Francisco Unified School District wrote on Facebook earlier this week.

According to a GoFundMe organized by SFUSD teacher Jeff Steeno, Jhony and Jesus had recently started working at the fireworks warehouse. Jesus, who was also expecting a child, was there for his first shift on the day of the explosion.

Both brothers were alumni of Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 School in the Mission District, according to Mission Local. 

The news outlet reported that the brothers had gotten the jobs at Devastating Pyrotechnics through their step-brother, Joel Melendez, 28, who was an employee.

A larger investigation

The unusual circumstances of the explosion and concerns from firework experts have raised questions about the facility’s safety and compliance, especially after the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office told reporters that the incident was being treated as an active crime scene investigation and primarily as a “law enforcement incident.”

On Tuesday, investigators with the Office of the California State Fire Marshal, along with officials from the Yolo and Sacramento county sheriffs’ offices and the San Francisco Police Department, were seen conducting a search at a residence in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond District. The home is listed as Devastating Pyrotechnics’ business address on its state licenses.

While Devastating Pyrotechnics owner Kenneth Chee has three state-level fireworks licenses for importing and exporting, wholesale and public display, law enforcement officials said that facilities like the one in Esparto must also meet federal explosive storage requirements.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported last week that Chee, who was previously convicted of assault with a firearm and firing a gun from a motor vehicle at a person, was denied a federal license by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Chronicle reported that another man, Gary Chan Jr., obtained a federal license to run Devastating Pyrotechnics in 2023.

The home on the 400 block of 2nd Avenue, where Hoodline San Francisco observed officers conducting the search, is a previous address of Chee. The property is owned by Jack Lee, who is named as an employee of Devastating Pyrotechnics in contract proposals and company documents extending over multiple years.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal and other agencies KQED contacted for comment would not confirm that they had conducted a search of the site, but said, “Investigators are actively tracking down numerous leads and have served multiple search warrants as part of the investigation process.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Douglas Horngrad, an attorney who is representing Chee, said: “Kenny [Chee] is innocent of any wrongdoing in connection with the Yolo fire. This incident is currently under investigation. Until such investigation is completed, we will have no further public comment.”

Ties to local public safety agencies

The Esparto property where Devastating Pyrotechnics’ warehouse was located is also the home base for Blackstar Fireworks, which Craig Cutright, a volunteer with the Esparto Fire Protection District, owns.

Blackstar has an active public display fireworks license, according to Cal Fire.

In text messages to ABC 10 the night of the explosion, Cutright denied that any of his fireworks were involved, the TV station reported. He pointed to Devastating Pyrotechnics.

Company documents name Cutright as an employee of Devastating Pyrotechnics as recently as 2022. He’s described as a “senior show producer” on proposals for fireworks contracts with city governments.

The property where the warehouses are located is owned by Sam Machado, who operates his own ATF-licensed business, Sam’s Gun Sales, on the site and is a sheriff’s deputy in Yolo County.

Few details about the Office of the State Fire Marshal’s investigation have been made public thus far, but the agency said in a statement that it is ongoing, adding, “Please know that we are committed to conducting a thorough and comprehensive investigation.”

Correction: The fire that originated at the Esparto warehouse spread for nearly 80 acres, not miles, as this article previously stated.