4 victims in deadly Yolo County fireworks explosion were from Bay Area
By KTVU Staff
YOLO COUNTY, Calif. - The Yolo County coroner officially identified all seven men killed in last week's explosion at a fireworks facility explosion in Yolo County. Four of the victims were Bay Area residents, including Jhony Ramos, Jesus Ramos, two brothers from San Pablo, and Christopher Goltiao Bocog and Neil Justin Li, both from San Francisco.
The other victims, all from Northern California, were identified as Sacramento resident Joel Jeremias Melendez, the brother of Jhony and Jesus Ramos, Angel Mathew Voller, of Stockton, and Carlos Javier Rodriguez-Mora, of San Andreas in Calaveras County.
The explosion occurred just before 6 p.m. on July 1 near County Road 23 and County Road 86A in Esparto, an agricultural town east of Sacramento. The explosion was at a facility belonging to Devastating Pyrotechnics, a fireworks storage company, which described itself as the "only local pyrotechnic company in Northern California" and one of the "largest fireworks importers in the Western United States."
Earlier this week, police from several agencies searched a San Francisco home linked to the owners of Devastating Pyrotechnics.
Hoodline first reported that the Yolo County Sheriff, San Francisco police and the Sacramento Sheriff's Bomb Squad descended on a Second Avenue home in the Richmond District. Police were serving a search warrant on a home where Kenneth Chee, the owner of the fireworks company lives or once lived, the outlet reported.
On Wednesday, Sacramento County Sheriff's Office confirmed to KTVU that its bomb squad was at the home on a mutual aid request. Sheriff's office detectives said they were there for a search warrant in relation to the fireworks warehouse explosion.
State records show the house is the same registered address as Devastating Pyrotechnics.
Following the explosion, Devastating Pyrotechnics issued the following statement: "Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community. We are grateful for the swift response of law enforcement and emergency personnel. Our focus will remain on those directly impacted by this tragedy, and we will cooperate fully with the proper authorities in their investigation."
Cal Fire is leading the investigation into why the fireworks warehouse exploded.
On the night of July, aerial footage showed fireworks shooting into the air as flames spread. The explosion also sparked an 80-acre fire.
In an interview with KCRA, CalFire State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said "there are a lot of red flags in this incident, a lot of questions that rightfully need to be answered."
In a follow-up statement to KTVU, Kayla Washington, with Cal Fire communications, said, "investigators are actively tracking down numerous leads and have served multiple search warrants as a part of the investigation process." She said that while her agency could not provide additional details at this time, they are committed to a thorough investigation.
Brothers had just started working at the warehouse
Dig deeper: Syanna Ruiz said her 18-year-old boyfriend, Jesus Ramos, was one of seven people killed in the explosion.
Ruiz, who is expecting a baby with Ramos, said it was his first day on the job. He wanted to earn money to prepare for their child’s arrival.
"I'm only two months pregnant, but he was so excited," she said. "That was the main reason why he wanted to start working, was just for our family."
Ramos was supposed to get off work at 2 p.m. The explosion was reported around 5:50 p.m.
Ramos’ brother Ernesto said the family drove from San Francisco to Esparto after learning of the fire.
"A good person," Ruiz said of her boyfriend. "A kind soul who cared so much about people, who put other people before himself."
Jhony Ramos and Melendez had both started working at the warehouse the week before in preparation for the July Fourth holiday season.
