The road closures and evacuation orders around the Esparto fireworks explosion site were lifted on Friday, allowing a closer look at the site where seven people were killed in the July 1 blast.
Numerous vehicles on County Road 23 in Yolo County slowed down Friday as they drove past the property to get a view of the debris, which remains on both sides of the roadway.
The wreckage includes many shipping containers, vehicles and the chimney of a former residence on the property.
The remains of the Esparto fireworks explosion site stand on County Road 23 on Friday, July 18, 2025, the first day the evacuation order and area road closures were lifted. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com
Burned vehicles and shipping containers stand at the Esparto fireworks explosion site on Friday, July 18, 2025, the first day the evacuation order and area road closures were lifted. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com
Drums of material rest inside a burned shipping container amid the wreckage of other containers at the Esparto fireworks explosion site on Friday, July 18, 2025. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com
A chimney, all the remains of the demolished home at the Esparto fireworks explosion site, stands amid debris on Friday, July 18, 2025. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com
Ammunition boxes, some with burned rounds inside, and magazines form a jumbled pile at the Esparto fireworks explosion site on Friday, July 18, 2025. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com
Burned vehicles rest at the Esparto fireworks explosion site on Friday, July 18, 2025. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com
Signs and caution tape forbid entry at the Esparto fireworks explosion site on Friday, July 18, 2025, the first day the evacuation order and area road closures were lifted. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com
Debris from the Esparto fireworks explosion rests in a field across County Road 23 from the pyrotechnics facility on Friday, July 18, 2025, the first day the evacuation order and area road closures were lifted. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com
A peeled open shipping container rests near a burned truck at Esparto fireworks explosion site on Friday, July 18, 2025. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com
The chimney is all that remains of the home that once stood at the Esparto fireworks explosion site on Friday, July 18, 2025, the first day the evacuation order and area road closures were lifted. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com
This story was originally published July 19, 2025 at 1:10 PM.
Bee visuals editor Nathaniel Levine joined the staff in 2003. His work has received awards from the Society of News Design, the Best of the West journalism competition and the California News Publishers Association, among others. A native Californian, Levine grew up in Grass Valley and attended UC Davis.
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