Latest news with #YoloCounty
CBS News
7 days ago
- CBS News
Farm sues over deadly Esparto fireworks explosion, claiming crop loss and negligence
The first civil lawsuit stemming from the deadly fireworks warehouse explosion in Esparto that shook the entire community three weeks ago has been filed in Yolo County Superior Court. It's not on behalf of the families of the seven workers killed in the blast, though lawsuits are expected to be filed in the near future, but rather from a nearby farm. Etta James Farming LLC, based out of Knights Landing, is suing for what attorneys claim to be hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to their crops and farming business when the July 1 explosion sparked the Oakdale Fire, which burned nearly 80 acres of nearby land. "This is not a major corporate farming operation. This is an area where most farms are owned by people who make their living by farming and if crops don't come through one year, that has a major impact on them and their families," said Christopher Rodriguez, attorney for Etta James Farming. The lawsuit alleges 24 acres of wheat and 50 acres of canario bean crops burned. "The damage was not only to the crops themselves, but also to the farming equipment being used to farm those crops," Rodriguez said. Named as defendants in the lawsuit are the company Devastating Pyrotechnics and its CEO Kenneth Chee; Blackstar Fireworks and its owner Craig Cutright; Sam Machado and up to 200 unnamed "Does" that the suit alleges are not yet publicly known. The two companies have had their fireworks licenses suspended by the state. Cutright and Machado both have connections to local law enforcement agencies, as CBS Sacramento has reported. Machado is a Lieutenant with the Yolo County Sheriff's Office; he owned and lived on the property where the warehouse exploded, his home destroyed. Machado's wife, Tammy, was a non-sworn, administrative employee of the sheriff's office. Both are currently on leave pending the investigation. Cutright serves as an Esparto Volunteer Firefighter, also currently on leave, with business connections to both Blackstar Fireworks and Devastating Pyrotechnics. "The incident, which was preventable, should never have happened," Rodriguez said. The lawsuit alleges the defendants are responsible for causing the explosion and fire that followed and are negligent in not doing enough to prevent it. Among the long list of allegations in the lawsuit are that Devastating Pyrotechnics and its operators failed to follow safety protocols, that explosives were not properly stored or inspected, that they failed to properly train employees and that there was no notification of hazardous materials being stored. The lawsuit reads that the defendants were "...part of an unlawful and unpermitted commercial-grade fireworks operation that, upon information and belief, included the storage and sale of illegal fireworks to members of the public..." and goes on to allege that the defendants, "...failed to comply with basic safety standards, instead conducting operations at the Fireworks Facility in a reckless manner that they knew or should have known caused an unreasonable risk of catastrophic explosion and fire." Concerning Machado, the lawsuit alleges he had "actual knowledge" that the other defendants were conducting illegal and unpermitted business. The lawsuit further claims that Machado, in turn, "...realized substantial financial benefits." As CBS Sacramento has reported, the land was not permitted at the local level to store fireworks. It was zoned only for agricultural use. "There's a concept in the law called res ipsa loquitur, the incident speaks for itself. As I mentioned, you don't get a devastating explosion like this where there are appropriate procedures in place," Rodriguez said. California's state fire marshal, the lead in the investigation, told CBS Sacramento in recent interviews that fireworks explosions like this are rare because they do not happen when the state's stringent fireworks rules and regulations are followed. The investigation into the explosion's origin and any potential wrongdoing is ongoing and no one has been charged with a crime. Friday, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, alongside Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez and Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, asked the California Department of Justice to join Cal Fire in leading the investigation. Attorney General Rob Bonta has not yet responded to the county's request. As families of the victims told CBS Sacramento, they are also pushing for transparency and answers as to who is responsible for the deadly explosion. Lawsuits are expected to be filed on behalf of the victims individually in the near future. CBS Sacramento reached out to all of the parties named in this lawsuit before publishing this story. None provided a comment.
CBS News
19-07-2025
- CBS News
Yolo County supervisors request DOJ probe into deadly Esparto fireworks explosion
Citing concerns over potential conflicts of interest, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors sent a letter Friday to the California Department of Justice, requesting it to assist the investigation into the deadly fireworks explosion that killed seven people in the Yolo County community of Esparto on July 1. The board wrote that while Cal Fire's Office of the State Fire Marshal has led the investigation, the involvement of two Yolo County Sheriff's Office employees who own the property where the explosion occurred has fueled public concern over the integrity of the process. Cal Fire has received assistance in the investigation from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal-OSHA) and local agencies like the Yolo County District Attorney's office and sheriff's office. "While we do not question the ability and integrity of the District Attorney to support the CAL FIRE and CAL OSHA investigations, ensuring the public's confidence in the investigation and outcomes is of critical importance to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and our community," the letter said. The Esparto property was owned by Sheriff's Lieutenant Sam Machado and his wife, who works in an administrative role in the sheriff's office. Both have since been placed on administrative leave. The site was also tied to two pyrotechnics companies, Blackstar Fireworks and Devastating Pyrotechnics, whose business licenses listed the same address where the incident occurred. The state fire marshal has since suspended the pyrotechnics licenses of Kenneth Chee, owner of Devastating Pyrotechnics, and Craig Cutright, owner of Blackstar Fireworks and a volunteer firefighter with the Esparto Fire Department. The letter states that Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez and District Attorney Jeff Reisig also support the request. The DOJ has not yet publicly responded.
CBS News
16-07-2025
- CBS News
California fire marshal suspends pyrotechnic licenses tied to deadly Esparto explosion
The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) announced Tuesday that it has suspended the pyrotechnic licenses of two people tied to the deadly fireworks explosion at a Northern California facility on July 1. Those who had their licenses suspended were Devastating Pyrotechnics owner and CEO Kenneth Chee and Craig Cutright, owner of Blackstar Fireworks. Cutright is also an Esparto Fire Department volunteer firefighter. BlackStar Fireworks and Devastating Pyrotechnics both had the same listed address, which was the site of the explosion. Cal Fire's OSFM is leading the investigation to determine the origin and cause of the explosion that killed 7 workers at the facility in the Yolo County community of Esparto. "While our Arson & Bomb Investigators have completed their evidence collection from the explosion site, the investigation remains very active," State Fire Marshal Chief Daniel Berlant said. "We continue to remain laser-focused on this investigation as the family and the community deserve answers. The effort to find the cause can take time, and it is our responsibility to ensure we provide a thorough and accurate investigation." Chee's home in San Francisco was raided by law enforcement a week ago. State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant sat down for a one-on-one interview with CBS Sacramento last week but did not say what investigators were searching for. The search warrant served at Chee's home was one of "a number of search warrants carried out" in connection with the Esparto explosion, Berlant said. Chee's attorney released a statement after that search stating that his client was innocent of any wrongdoing. Cal Fire said it could not provide further specific details on the investigation.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- The Guardian
Families confirm five people died in blast at California fireworks warehouse
Family members are still searching for answers following last week's explosion at a fireworks warehouse in northern California. Authorities confirmed on Sunday that the remains of the seven people missing in the blast have been recovered. Family and community members have confirmed five of the victims as Jesus Ramos, Jhony Ramos, Joel 'Junior' Melendez, Angel Voller and Carlos Rodriguez. Two victims are still unidentified. A GoFundMe page has been set up for brothers Jhony and Jesus Ramos. Jesus, the younger of the pair, was a soon-to-be father whose first day on the job coincided with the deadly explosion. 'He was excited to be a dad. Only two months and we were just waiting for this, a new opportunity, a new chapter. He saw it as a new chapter in our life,' Syanna Ruiz, Jesus Ramos' girlfriend, told ABC10, Sacramento's ABC affiliate. 'He was excited.' Joel Melendez's mother told the same outlet that she remains without answers surrounding the explosion that claimed the life of her 28-year-old son, who was a father of one with another baby on the way. 'He's my baby,' Lupe Melendez Mendoza told ABC10. 'And I don't know, I'm not getting answers. I don't know where he's at. I don't know what happened. I just know that he loves his wife.' All human remains have been recovered from the charred warehouse site, but the identities of the deceased were being withheld pending family notifications. Two people were treated for injuries following the blast in the town of Esparto, Yolo county officials said in a statement Sunday. The warehouse was managed by Devastating Pyrotechnics, which has more than 30 years of experience designing and producing fireworks shows, according to a screenshot of its website before it was taken down. 'Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community,' the company said in a statement last week. 'Our focus will remain on those directly impacted by this tragedy, and we will cooperate fully with the proper authorities in their investigation.' The wildfire covered nearly 80 acres (33 hectares) and scorched surrounding agricultural fields, officials said.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- The Guardian
Families confirm five people died in blast at California fireworks warehouse
Family members are still searching for answers following last week's explosion at a fireworks warehouse in northern California. Authorities confirmed on Sunday that the remains of the seven people missing in the blast have been recovered. Family and community members have confirmed five of the victims as Jesus Ramos, Jhony Ramos, Joel 'Junior' Melendez, Angel Voller and Carlos Rodriguez. Two victims are still unidentified. A GoFundMe page has been set up for brothers Jhony and Jesus Ramos. Jesus, the younger of the pair, was a soon-to-be father whose first day on the job coincided with the deadly explosion. 'He was excited to be a dad. Only two months and we were just waiting for this, a new opportunity, a new chapter. He saw it as a new chapter in our life,' Syanna Ruiz, Jesus Ramos' girlfriend, told ABC10, Sacramento's ABC affiliate. 'He was excited.' Joel Melendez's mother told the same outlet that she remains without answers surrounding the explosion that claimed the life of her 28-year-old son, who was a father of one with another baby on the way. 'He's my baby,' Lupe Melendez Mendoza told ABC10. 'And I don't know, I'm not getting answers. I don't know where he's at. I don't know what happened. I just know that he loves his wife.' All human remains have been recovered from the charred warehouse site, but the identities of the deceased were being withheld pending family notifications. Two people were treated for injuries following the blast in the town of Esparto, Yolo county officials said in a statement Sunday. The warehouse was managed by Devastating Pyrotechnics, which has more than 30 years of experience designing and producing fireworks shows, according to a screenshot of its website before it was taken down. 'Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community,' the company said in a statement last week. 'Our focus will remain on those directly impacted by this tragedy, and we will cooperate fully with the proper authorities in their investigation.' The wildfire covered nearly 80 acres (33 hectares) and scorched surrounding agricultural fields, officials said.
