Several huge explosions rocked a California fireworks facility just days before the Fourth of July, sparking “numerous spot fires” that forced locals to evacuate, officials said.
Multiple blasts were reported from the facility in Esparto in Yolo County Tuesday evening, with fireworks detonating amid the flames that engulfed several structures, according to KCRA.
“All we felt was everything shake,” Esparto resident Bryan Sandoval, who was at his home when he heard the first explosion, told the Sacramento Bee.
Explosions were still seen hours later, with the thick smoke creating an acrid smell throughout the one-mile evacuation zone, The Bee reported.
The initial explosion, which was first reported from a warehouse on the property around 5:50 p.m., caused “numerous spot fires” in the area,
Esparto Fire Protection District Chief Curtis Lawrence told reporters at a press conference.
That collective blaze, dubbed the Oakdale Fire, had spread to over 78 acres before its progress was halted around 7:30 p.m., officials said.
