Latest news with #CaliforniaDepartmentOfForestry
CBC
03-07-2025
- CBC
Several people missing after fire, explosion level California fireworks facility
Seven people were missing after a fire and powerful explosion levelled a commercial fireworks facility in rural northern California, authorities said on Wednesday. Aerial footage from local news media showed the large, warehouse-like building blown to pieces Tuesday evening in an enormous, thundering fireball that rocked a wide area around the Yolo County community of Esparto, about 64 kilometres west of Sacramento, the state capital. The blast, belching out a pall of thick, black smoke, was followed by dozens of smaller explosions flashing in the sky over the site, apparently ignited by the inventory of pyrotechnics stored at the location. Flames spread from the explosion charred about 32 hectares of surrounding vegetation, according to Jason Clay, a spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Two people injured in the initial event received medical treatment, and seven other individuals were missing, Curtis Lawrence, chief of the Esparto Fire Protection District, told reporters at a briefing on Wednesday, about 24 hours later. State fire marshal investigating The cause of the incident, which occurred three days before the July Fourth U.S. Independence Day celebrations that typically involve fireworks displays, was under investigation by the state fire marshal's office, Lawrence said. Authorities said firefighters and other emergency response personnel were keeping a safe distance from the site as teams continued to make assessments of ongoing risks posed by live fireworks, which continued to go off at random intervals through Wednesday evening. Teams were flying drones and aircraft over the area seeking to determine the fate of the missing and to monitor lingering hazards, according to Lawrence. Authorities declined to say whether the missing were workers from the facility or bystanders, but he said there were no casualties among firefighters or other emergency personnel. "I can say I have not seen anything like this," Lawrence said. Asked how authorities would know when it was safe enough to venture further into the site, he said, "It's tough to get a definitive answer of when that's going to be and what that actually looks like." An evacuation zone was established around the site, and about 150 homes and farms were without power as a result of the incident, Lawrence said. He described the demolished facility as a licensed pyrotechnics business involving commercial fireworks sold for public display. But it was unclear whether fireworks were merely stored there or also produced on site.
Sky News
03-07-2025
- Sky News
California: Seven missing after explosion at fireworks warehouse in California
Seven people are missing after an explosion at a fireworks warehouse. People were urged to avoid an area in rural Northern California on Tuesday night, after an explosion at a building near Esparto, a community of around 3,000 people, 40 miles (65km) from Sacramento. The blast set off a barrage of fireworks and sent a fireball into the air, launching debris and causing a huge blaze that led to other spot fires. After scorching agricultural fields, the fire caused by the explosion was under control at nearly 80 acres on Wednesday morning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. Emergency crews and investigators are working with the property's owner and monitoring the area using drones to find the missing people, it added. It is unclear if those unaccounted for worked at the warehouse or lived nearby. The Yolo County Sheriff's Office said in a news release: "The fire will take time to cool, and once it does, explosive experts must safely enter the site to assess and secure the area." Evacuation orders are still in place, authorities said. Deputy state fire marshal Kara Garrett told local media: "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." Two nearby counties have said they are seeking alternatives for Fourth of July celebrations, as their fireworks were destroyed in the blast.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
2 men, 1 dog survive drive into Whiskeytown Lake near dam; Kennedy Memorial Drive reopens
Kennedy Memorial Drive reopened just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, after Whiskeytown National Recreation Area staff and local law enforcement pulled a vehicle out of Whiskeytown Lake. The park closed the road between East Beach and Glory Hole Spillway at 1:15 p.m., park staff posted on social media. The road stayed closed for almost four hours while a dive team located, then towed "a private vehicle out of the bottom of the lake," according to the announcement. Note to readers: If you appreciate the work we do here at the Redding Record Searchlight, please consider subscribing yourself or giving the gift of a subscription to someone you know. The vehicle crashed into the reservoir at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, the announcement said. Two young men and a dog, who were inside the vehicle when it went into the water, all survived, according to the park. Shasta County Sheriff's Office and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection helped park staff get the vehicle safely out of the lake. "The public is reminded to obey posted speed limits, drive defensively, and to never drive under the influence of alcohol or other substances. At least one fatal vehicle accident occurs inside the national recreation area annually; we do not want that fatality to be you," the park posted on Facebook. (This story was updated with new information.) Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you. This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: 2 men, 1 dog survive drive into lake near Whiskeytown Dam
