Yolo County officials knew of Esparto fireworks businesses but didn't act, grand jury says
A Yolo County grand jury report about the 2025 Esparto fireworks explosion says that although numerous local officials "knew about the fireworks businesses, none of them took any action."
The explosion happened on July 1, 2025, at a site where officials said Devastating Pyrotechnics LLC and Blackstar Fireworks, Inc. manufactured and stored dangerous fireworks. The explosion killed seven workers.
"Public records indicate that various top Yolo County officials were aware of illegal fireworks operations at the site for at least three years prior to the incident," the grand jury report said. "Inexplicably, no code enforcement occurred, even though all dangerous fireworks had been banned by ordinance throughout rural Yolo County since 2001."
The civil grand jury report, titled "Esparto Fireworks Explosion: Officials Knew, None Acted," says that there were nearly a dozen county employees who knew about the operations at the site, with records showing there was communication regarding concerns about the site. However, the report says there was no record of the employees advocating for enforcement.
In June 2022, the Yolo County Building Services Department received a tip that two pyrotechnics businesses were using the property.
"County Building Services Department officials in a series of emails said they were going out to the site to conduct an inspection, noting that they would 'tread lightly' as the property was owned by sheriff's deputies '…including deputies that we work with,' " the grand jury report said.
Building officials reported there were pyrotechnic businesses operating at the site and they had been told by Esparto fire officials that the businesses were approved by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the grand jury report said. The building officials were also told that new buildings on the property were for agricultural purposes.
After that visit, the Yolo County Community Services Department began to take possible enforcement action against the property, the grand jury report said. But email records stopped within days and no action was taken, the report said.
The community service department was aware that county ordinances prohibited fireworks at the site, but the grand jury said it could not determine why officials never pursued the matter further.
The findings in the report are too much to bear for Lupe Melendez Mendoza, the grieving mother of Joel "Junior" Melendez, who was killed in the blast.
"I'm a mother that's destroyed. You guys destroyed me. And I say this also for the six other mothers," said Mendoza through tears. "I can't hug my son anymore. I can't. So, that means somebody has to go to jail, right? Somebody has to go to jail. Somebody has to pay for this."
Melendez was not scheduled to work that fateful night of the sudden explosion, but came in on his off day to cover for a co-worker so he could attend his daughter's birthday party, Mendoza said.
Mendoza says the county officials who turned a blind eye to the legal and code violations are to blame for her son's death. He leaves behind two young sons, the youngest of whom was born just months after he passed away.
"They didn't do their job. Not even one bit. Not one percentage. If they had, maybe our boys would have still been here," said Mendoza through tears. "They didn't just pass away. They died horrifically, and it was just because somebody said, 'Oops. We don't feel like doing our job today.' Because we're greedy, because otherwise, what is it? What motivated you not to do your job?"
The grand jury said it heard testimony that, over the years, the board of supervisors "fostered a culture of tolerance for code violations that percolated through County bureaucracy."
"The Board of Supervisors respectfully disagrees with the report's suggestion that the County does not take code enforcement seriously," the county said about the report. "While funding levels have varied historically, the Board has consistently supported and funded the County's code enforcement program in recent (compared to previous) years and continues to recognize the essential role it plays in protecting community health and safety."
The county added that it has begun internal reviews of its process, which includes code enforcement procedures. County officials said they will review the report and issue a formal response.
In August, supervisors issued a statement saying they launched an internal review of the code enforcement procedures, but the grand jury said it found no evidence that the county has "engaged in any sort of thorough or systematic review."
Earlier this year, Cal Fire said it finished its investigation into the explosion, alleging illegal activities were uncovered.
Cal-OSHA fined Devastating Pyrotechnics $221,000 for 15 violations it found at the facility.
CBS Sacramento has reported that Yolo County Sheriff's Lieutenant Sam Machado and his wife, Tammy, owned the property and were placed on administrative leave.
The grand jury report also says Rieko Matsumura, Tammy's sister, was a deputy in Esparto and was placed on disability leave due to an unrelated injury before the explosion. Matsumura retired from the department in September.
Mendoza says any county official responsible for not fully investigating the site should be fired and held accountable.
"You failed at your job big time. And not only did you fail, but you participated, so the people above them need to do something. And I'm talking about Gavin Newsom, and I'm talking about the DA, I'm talking about whoever else," said Mendoza.
Both the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and the Yolo County Sheriff's Office are required to issue a response to the report within 90 days.
The supervisors will hear an updated report on the grand jury findings at their April 14 meeting.