Search continues for 7 missing after huge explosion at California fireworks warehouse

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Rescue crews were searching on Thursday for seven people still missing days after an explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Northern California shook a tiny farming community and forced the cancellation of nearby July Fourth celebrations.

The barrage of fireworks that exploded Tuesday caused a massive blaze that led to other spot fires and collapsed the building in Yolo County about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Sacramento.

Family members gathered near a sheriff's checkpoint about a mile from the blast site in rural Esparto, hoping for news about their loved ones. Syanna Ruiz, who is pregnant, said her boyfriend, 18-year-old Jesus Ramos, was working his first day at the warehouse when the explosion occurred. Ramos' brothers, 22-year-old Johnny Ramos and 28-year-old Junior Melendez, were also missing, she said.

“I’m just praying to God that some way, somehow, they’re OK,” Ruiz told the Sacramento Bee on Wednesday.

Two people were treated for injuries, officials said. The cause of the explosion was under investigation.

Yolo County Undersheriff Matthew Davis asked family members for their patience during the slow process of making the smoldering site safe for searchers.

“We cannot move forward and risk injury to anyone else on the scene,” Davis said during a briefing Thursday afternoon. “We appreciate and understand how much you want answers, and we’re doing everything we can to bring you that.”

The warehouse was managed by Devastating Pyrotechnics, which has more than 30 years of experience designing and producing fireworks shows in the Bay Area, according to a screenshot of its website before it was taken down. The company, with headquarters in both San Francisco and Esparto, focuses mainly on display fireworks for big productions instead of those for retail.

“Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community,” the company said in a statement. “Our focus will remain on those directly impacted by this tragedy, and we will cooperate fully with the proper authorities in their investigation.”

After Tuesday’s blast, officials in nearby Sutter and Yuba counties issued a statement calling the company “a trusted partner and a cherished part of our regional fireworks celebrations.”

Living near a fireworks warehouse always means a risk of fire and explosion, said fire investigator expert Richard Meier, but it is especially dangerous when it involves fireworks for large shows.

“You don’t want to live in the house right next door," he said, adding that such large fireworks can "shoot a quarter of a mile or more."

Meier said anything from a nearby brushfire to workers using equipment that were potential ignition sources could have triggered the explosion. Fireworks being stored too closely in large quantity also could have contributed to the scale of the blast.

The company’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond to question about whether the business was manufacturing fireworks on-site or how many fireworks were stored at the facility.

Authorities were working with the property’s owner and monitoring the area using drones to find the missing people as small explosions continued late Wednesday, said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

The fire was held at nearly 80 acres (33 hectares) after scorching surrounding agricultural fields, officials said.

“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," Cal Fire said.

Nisa Gutierrez told the Sacramento CBS affiliate KOVR-TV that the blast was so strong it blew open the doors of her home, damaging the door frames.

She and her daughter were in their yard and were nearly knocked over as their pony and goats scattered.

“We hear like a big boom, and feel the wave,” Gutierrez said. “I thought it was a bomb.”

Crews including a team with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were working to enable safe access to the site “to conduct recovery operations and bolster investigative efforts for the explosion investigation,” the statement said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said it was tracking what happened and that state ground and air resources were deployed.

Officials in nearby Sutter and Yuba counties announced Wednesday that they were exploring alternatives for Fourth of July celebrations after their fireworks were destroyed in the blast.

“This tragic incident is a sobering reminder of the many hands behind the scenes who help create joy for others," they said in a statement.

Weber reported from Los Angeles.

In this aerial image taken from video, smoke and flames rise from a fireworks warehouse explosion, July 1, 2025, Esparto, Calif. (KGO via AP)

In this aerial image taken from video, smoke and flames rise from a fireworks warehouse explosion, July 1, 2025, Esparto, Calif. (KGO via AP)

In this aerial image taken from video, smoke and flames rise from a fireworks warehouse explosion, July 1, 2025, Esparto, Calif. (KGO via AP)

Smoke and flames rise during a fireworks warehouse explosion near Esparto, Calif., Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat via AP)

Smoke and flames rise at a fireworks warehouse near Esparto, Calif., on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (KGO via AP)

Fireworks explode at a fireworks warehouse near Esparto, Calif., Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat via AP)

Smoke and flames rise during a fireworks warehouse explosion near Esparto, Calif., Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat via AP)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The New York Knicks might get a trophy. Tyler Kolek's dad might get a car.

The NBA Cup final will have San Antonio against the Knicks on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. The game won't count in the standings, and the stats won't be added to any official totals. But there is a trophy, bragging rights and money at stake.

By making it to the final, the Knicks and Spurs already have secured $212,373 per player from the NBA Cup prize money pool. The losing team on Tuesday gets nothing extra. Players on the winning team get an additional $308,560 — pushing their Cup winnings to $530,933 each. Two-way players get half of what players on standard contracts get.

“It means a lot to some," Kolek said. “Maybe not as much to others, obviously.”

He's in the “some” group.

Kolek, a backup guard for the Knicks, is making $2.2 million this season. In the real world, that's a lot of money. In the NBA world, not so much. Take a look at some other Knicks players' salaries: Karl-Anthony Towns is making $53.1 million this season, OG Anunoby is making $39.6 million, Jalen Brunson is making $34.9 million, Mikal Bridges is making just under $25 million and Josh Hart around $19.5 million.

Those guys — and plenty of the Spurs players, too — are used to seeing checks exceeding $500,000. Kolek surely isn't. But he's earned his shot to win big in Vegas, by being a big reason why the Knicks got to the final.

New York outscored Orlando by 18 points in Kolek's 16 minutes in Saturday's semifinals. When Kolek wasn't on the floor, the Magic outscored the Knicks by six. He finished with four points and four assists; the stats might not seem impressive, but his energy was a huge plus for New York.

“Tyler did a fantastic job today, our young fella, of impacting winning,” Towns said after the game. “And he did that on a big stage. ... One of his finest games as an NBA player was tonight, and it may not show up on the stats sheet, but everybody in our locker room knows how important he was to us.”

Kolek took his NBA Cup quarterfinal bonus from last season, a little over $50,000, and bought his mother a car. This year, he has said it could be his father's turn for a new vehicle. The question is, will the bigger bonus this year lead to a better car for his dad.

Knicks coach Mike Brown — who raves about Kolek's competitive juices and has rewarded him with a bigger role in recent weeks — can't wait to find out.

“I just want to know if his dad’s going to get a better car than his mom or vice versa, because we’ll find out soon which parent he likes more,” Brown said, laughing. “Better be his mom. ... Hey, I’m not causing trouble. I've just got two eyes open. Wait to see what he’s going to do. Just take care of your mom. Just remember that. Take care of your mom.”

It's a nice problem to have, for sure.

“That's a big amount of money for a guy like myself," Kolek said. “It’s not only about the money. We want to win this to hold up the trophy and for the fans.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) passes the ball between New York Knicks' Tyler Kolek (13) and Og Anunoby (8) in the second half of an NBA Cup semifinals basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)

New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek (13) dribbles the ball during the first half of an NBA Cup semifinals basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)