DNA test results to identify the seven victims of a massive explosion and fire at a fireworks storage facility in rural Yolo County should be ready by Wednesday, a Sheriff’s Office official said Monday.

Yolo County Undersheriff and Coroner Matt Davis also said crews are still working to ensure there are no additional victims from the July 1 explosion near Esparto that leveled at least one building and ignited a 78-acre fire in an agricultural area about 40 miles northwest of Sacramento.

Search teams have no reason to believe there are additional victims, but investigators will “leave no stone unturned” in their search for information, Davis said.

In addition to the seven known victims, two people were treated at the scene and taken to the hospital for medical attention, according to Esparto Fire Protection District Chief Curtis Lawrence.

“We continue to have additional responders arriving on scene every day in different varying capacities from our local, state and federal partners,” Lawrence said.

“As mentioned before, recovery efforts were our primary mission and those recovery efforts have been for the most part completed and we continue to work in the area to mitigate the hazards of the undetonated explosives throughout the last two days,” he said.

Lawrence said it’s a “very complicated investigation, it’s a very complex incident and it’s evolving every day” and that the Office of the State Fire Marshal is taking the lead.

Determining how the explosion happened

Deputy State Fire Marshal Kara Garrett said Monday that her office is currently investigating exactly how and where the initial explosion happened.

Garrett also noted that California has some of the nation’s most strict pyrotechnic laws and regulations and has “zero tolerance” for the illegal use, transportation or possession of fireworks.

FILE: Smoke rises from the scene of a massive fire at a warehouse storing fireworks in rural Yolo County on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. The bodies of seven people have been recovered from the rubble. (Cal Fire LNU via Bay City News)

“Our work will expand in the coming days to determine whether the operator had all the necessary licenses and permits,” she said in an email. “It is too early in the investigation to confirm whether any violations resulted in this tragedy, but we are dedicating our Arson & Bomb Investigation team to assist Esparto Fire Protection District in investigating the explosion.”

In addition to the deaths and property damage caused by the explosion, it also forced several communities — including San Jose, Cloverdale and St. Helena — to cancel their July Fourth fireworks shows since their pyrotechnic supplies were stored in the Yolo County warehouse that went up in flames.

Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.