WOODLAND, CA — Seven people have been arrested in connection with a fireworks warehouse explosion in Northern California Seven people were killed Authorities said on Friday that two others were injured last July.
the Deadly fireworks explosion Near the small farming community of Esparto in Yolo County, it sparked a wildfire and forced the cancellation of nearby Fourth of July celebrations.
The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office is expected to announce the indictments of those arrested at a news conference on Friday. Many of those arrested have been locked up on murder charges, according to prison records.
Those arrested include Samuel Machado and Tammy Machado, who owned the warehouse located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Sacramento. At the time, Samuel Machado was a lieutenant with the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office and his wife, Tammy Machado, was a non-divisional administrative employee. They were placed on leave after the incident.
Kenneth Chee, owner of Devastating Pyrotechnics, whose illegal fireworks were stored in the warehouse, was arrested in Florida. The man appeared in a Florida court on Friday and was told he would be extradited to California within the week, KCRA-TV reported.
Authorities also arrested Jack Lee, director of operations at Devastating Pyrotechnic, and Gary Chan Jr., whose name is on the company’s federal license, the television station reported.
Craig Cutwright, owner of Blackstar Fireworks, which operated on the Esparto property owned by the Machados, was also among those arrested. Cutwright, a volunteer firefighter with the Esparto Fire District, was also listed as an employee of Devastating Pyrotechnics, KCRA-TV reported.
One of Cutright’s employees, Ronald Botelho III, has been in custody since December. More than a dozen new charges were filed against him Thursday, jail records show.