A FIREWORKS warehouse in northern California was completely destroyed in a huge blast, forcing residents to desperately flee their homes.
The huge explosion tore through the facility on Tuesday evening, not far from the small communities of Esparto and Madison in Yolo County.
A fireworks warehouse in northern California was destroyed in a huge blast
TwitterThe major explosion happened on Tuesday evening[/caption]
TwitterOfficials are still investigating what caused the disaster[/caption]
Terrified homeowners said the ground trembled beneath them as towering inferno engulfed multiple structures.
Esparto local Bryan Sandoval told the Sacramento Bee: “All we felt was everything shake.”
He and his family evacuated immediately as smoke and fireworks lit up the sky.
Footage from the scene shows white smoke billowing from the roof of the warehouse before it is engulfed by a fireball in a violent explosion.
Fireworks burst midair above the wreckage, crackling and exploding as if part of a chaotic, unplanned display.
A massive column of smoke soared up to 15,000 feet, visible for miles around.
Videos also captured the terrifying sight of rogue fireworks firing in every direction, igniting spot fires in dry grass and fields around the warehouse.
The flames quickly spread across an estimated 80 acres of surrounding land, threatening nearby highways and farmland.
Several commercial buildings on the property were completely consumed by fire, according to Esparto Fire Protection District Chief Curtis Lawrence.
Fire crews responded to the incident shortly before 6pm and “a few commercial buildings well-involved, as well as numerous explosions and numerous spot fires throughout the area,” Lawrence said.
By 7.30pm, crews had managed to halt the fire’s advance, but hot spots continued to smoulder overnight.
The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office issued a one-mile evacuation order shortly after the initial blast.
“At this time, the cause of the explosion remains unknown,” the office said, adding that drones are being used to assess the wreckage and that updates would follow as the investigation unfolds.
Officials from the State Fire Marshal’s arson and bomb investigation unit are working to find the cause of the fire.
Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa unit confirmed that both air and ground crews were deployed to prevent the blaze from leaping into more rural land near Highway 16 and Oakdale Lane.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, and authorities have not yet said what triggered the blast.
Roads were shut down and residents forced from their homes, though some were allowed to return by Tuesday night.
Giant plumes of black smoke erupted from the site and could be seen from miles away
CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa UnitTerrified residents were forced to flee their homes[/caption]
CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa UnitA Cal Fire helicoper flies near the scene in Yolo County[/caption]
The warehouse explosion comes at a perilous time—just two days ahead of the July 4 holiday, when fireworks demand peaks and wildfire risk runs high.
“Our Public Safety Partners are currently investigating the cause of the large explosions near the Esparto area,” Winters Police said in a social media post.
It comes after 44 people were killed after a chemical reactor exploded inside a drug factory in India.
Dozens are still missing after Monday’s horror blast sparked an inferno and burnt the building to the ground – leaving workers trapped inside.
The chemical factory, used by Sigachi Industries, sat in the Pashamylaram industrial estate in Telangana’s Sangareddy district.
Police in Telangana said more than 140 people were working in the plant at the time of the blast with more than 60 directly impacted.
Last week, at least 29 students died and another 250 were injured after an explosion sparked a stampede at a high school.
Students were taking their final exams when an electrical transformer exploded in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic.
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