One year later, Esparto remembers men who died in fireworks warehouse explosion

For Tiffany Nolan-Rodriguez, the past year has felt painfully quiet. On July 1, 2025, she lost her husband, Carlos Rodriguez-Mora, in a fireworks warehouse explosion south of Esparto that also killed six others.

Nolan-Rodriguez described her husband as an exceptionally supportive dad. At every football game her son played, she said, he was the loudest parent there.

“I miss telling him he's too loud,” she said. “I would do anything to hear him scream like that again.”

Nolan-Rodriguez was one of more than 50 people who came together Wednesday night for a candlelight vigil to honor the men who lost their lives in the fireworks blast a year ago.

Friends, family and community members gathered in the parking lot beside the Esparto Dollar General, where they lit candles, said prayers and remembered the victims.

“It was a beautiful day and our boys would be so happy,” said Ruth Fraira, paralegal to the Ramos family, who lost two sons that day.

Eight people face charges tied to the blast. Five, including the company owner and a former Yolo County sheriff’s lieutenant, have been charged with murder.

Prosecutors said Devastating Pyrotechnics, the company that operated the warehouse property, imported about 11 million pounds of fireworks or fireworks materials, cut corners, made false statements, installed no safety measures and sold products on the black market. The defendants have denied wrongdoing, calling the explosion an industrial accident.

According to a Yolo County civil grand jury report released in March, the county bore some responsibility for the explosion. The report said county officials failed to shut down the fireworks operation in Esparto despite repeated warning signs. Specifically, it said building officials promised to “tread lightly” when inspecting the property because it was owned by sheriff’s deputies.

The county disputed the report’s findings.

While families of the victims await justice, they continue to feel the absence of their loved ones.

Maria Melendez, the wife of Esparto fireworks explosion victim Joel Melendez Jr., was pregnant with their second child at the time of his death. She said her son has learned to identify his father in photos, pointing to him and saying “Dad.”

Guillermo Burnett, Melendez Jr.’s cousin, described him as “fun-loving” and “the life of the party.” “He was always laughing, always wanted to have a good time,” he said. “He cared about everybody he was around."

For Nolan-Rodriguez, it was hard to believe it had been a year and harder still to put that year into words. She recalled her husband’s contagious laugh, which she said was deeply missed.

“It didn't matter if money was short or things weren't going right,” she said. “He'd make you laugh and say, ‘We can get through this.’”

One of the hardest parts, she said, has been being there for her children. Her husband has already missed her daughter’s eighth-grade graduation with honors and her son’s sports championship.

“As a mom, you want to take away all the pain off your kids, and you can't,” she said. “You're trying to grieve yourself, you know. It’s hard.”

Nolan-Rodriguez said somehow she and her family got through the year “with a little bit of grit” and “a whole bunch of family support.” She worried the second year would be worse because people often, unintentionally, fade away.

For the time being, however, the Esparto community has rallied in support. Many vigil attendees wore shirts printed with the faces of the victims.

They left photos, flowers, letters and stuffed animals at the memorial. One sign read “Justice for Junior,” followed by “We love you!” and “We miss you.” People cried and hugged one another while music played over speakers.

Bridget Doherty was among those who came to pay her respects. “It’s extremely important to show them they’re not alone and the support that they need — and that they’re going to need for a long, long time,” she said of the families of the seven men.

Fraira spoke on behalf of the Ramos family because they were too emotional to speak themselves.

She thanked everyone for taking time out of their day to attend the vigil and said it was important to show the families they care.

Joel Melendez, the father of Melendez Jr., expressed appreciation for the support and hope for “some type of justice.”

Melendez was far from the only vigil attendee who spoke of the need for justice. Many criticized the alleged negligence of both the fireworks company and the county.

Devastating Pyrotechnics had no state license to manufacture or process fireworks, according to previous reporting by The Sacramento Bee. The company also did not comply with state codes governing the assembly of fireworks shows.

Others criticized the decision to grant bail to Tammy Machado, the co-owner of the fireworks warehouse property.

According to vigil attendees, questions about how the explosion occurred remain unanswered and they said authorities have left them in the dark.

Larry Sullivan — who described his nephew, Melendez Jr., as “the kind of guy who'd give you the shirt off his back” — called the past year “very frustrating.”

“Everyone's trying to get answers,” he said. “It’s like talking to a stone wall."

Burnett echoed those sentiments, saying he wants the people or organizations responsible for his cousin’s death to be held accountable.

Nolan-Rodriguez, though, said she is not mad at those responsible because “it’s not going to help me or my kids.”

Her son, Jordan, is 11.

“He was a great dad,” Jordan said of Rodriguez-Mora. “I just really miss him.”

Nolan-Rodriguez asked the vigil attendees to keep supporting the families of the victims.

“Please continue to wrap your arms around us because it’s anything but over,” she said.

This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 7:40 AM.