Cal Fire finds illegal activity connected to Esparto fireworks blast
California’s Office of the State Fire Marshal completed its investigation into the deadly fireworks explosion in Esparto and uncovered evidence of “illegal activity” and criminal wrongdoing, the agency announced Monday.
The findings were provided to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, which has conducted a far-reaching criminal probe into the fireworks operation that exploded in the rural community, killing seven people and igniting a 78-acre wildfire.
“Our Arson and Bomb investigators have compiled a report that reflects the Office of the State Fire Marshal’s commitment to uncovering what happened in Esparto,” California State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said in a press release. “This complex investigation took many turns as new information emerged, but the team diligently followed leads and gathered the facts that form the basis of the report.”
In a statement the Yolo County DA’s office said that Cal Fire was “sending its reports.”
“The investigation and review (are) ongoing. That’s all we have for now,” the statement said.
The investigative focus was the cause of the deadly blast. The agency — a division of the California Office of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire — initially anticipated that its investigation would conclude in August, but the case proved more complicated than expected, Berlant told The Sacramento Bee in November. The report’s public release will be up to the district attorney’s discretion.
The criminal investigation into the Esparto fireworks operation remains ongoing. The investigation has so far led to multiple arrests and dozens of search warrants.
In the aftermath of the Esparto tragedy, Cal Fire itself has come under scrutiny for missing apparent warning signs about Devastating Pyrotechnics, one of the two companies that operated on the Yolo County property. Records obtained by The Sacramento Bee found that the state agency was made aware of the company’s possible ties to illegal fireworks operations following a May 2025 seizure in Commerce, California and a 2023 explosion in San Jose, but did not investigate the company’s operation in Esparto.
This story was originally published February 2, 2026 at 2:58 PM.
