DA serves warrant at Esparto fire station, chief’s home over fireworks explosion
Investigators from the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office searched the home, office and vehicles of Esparto Fire Chief Curtis Lawrence as part of the criminal investigation into the fireworks explosion that killed seven people and ignited the 78-acre Oakdale Fire.
A warrant, obtained Friday by The Sacramento Bee and authorized weeks after the blast, was issued allowing prosecutors to seize Lawrence’s personal and work electronic devices, including his phone and computer. The search extended to the Esparto Fire Protection District’s station, 16960 Yolo Ave.; Lawrence’s personal and professional vehicles; and his Esparto home.
The warrant reviewed by The Bee does not state what, if anything, was ultimately seized, nor when the warrant was executed. Instead, it lays out the scope of what investigators were looking for and possibly removed.
The search warrant explicitly allowed authorities to seize a range of electronic devices and digital storage media connected to Lawrence. According to the warrant, officers were permitted to take cellphones, computers, memory cards, external hard drives and thumb drives. The warrant also extended to written materials, allowing the seizure of documents or notes showing user accounts and/or passwords.
The explosions and fire touched off July 1 on a rural compound near County Roads 23 and 86A, where two fireworks companies — Devastating Pyrotechnics and BlackStar Fireworks — were storing materials. Both the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office and the Esparto Fire Protection District recused themselves from the response and investigation because of agency ties to the property and the pyrotechnic operators.
One of the companies, BlackStar, is owned by Esparto volunteer firefighter Craig Cutright, who has worked closely with Lawrence on fireworks displays in the past, including some donated to and hosted by the Fire District.
The property is owned by Yolo County sheriff’s Lt. Sam Machado and his wife, Tammy, both of whom are now on administrative leave from the Sheriff’s Office.
In the days after the inferno, Lawrence acknowledged that he had conducted “site visits” to the Esparto compound but had not performed any formal safety inspections. Records and interviews suggest he was aware of fireworks operations at the site before the explosion. Lawrence has not been placed on leave and continues to work as Esparto’s fire chief.
Last week, Cal Fire permanently revoked all state-issued licenses held by Devastating Pyrotechnics and BlackStar Fireworks, citing violations of California fireworks laws, including storing explosives without a local fire permit and failing to report lost fireworks.
Cal Fire’s Office of the State Fire Marshal continues to lead the criminal investigation into the cause of the explosion. The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office will ultimately determine whether to file charges.
This story was originally published August 29, 2025 at 12:42 PM.
