Multiple people face charges, including murder, in California fireworks blast

• 01An explosion at a 5,000-square-foot warehouse near Esparto, California occurred on July 1, killing seven people and injuring two others.
• 02The seven victims were identified as Jesús Ramos (18), Jhony Ramos (22), Joel Melendez (28), Carlos Rodriguez-Mora (43), Angel Mathew Voller (18), Christopher Bocog (45), and Neil Li (41), all employees of Devastating Pyrotechnics.
• 03At least seven people have been charged in connection with the explosion, including for murder, illegal possession of explosives, and reckless possession of an explosive device.
• 04Samuel Machado, a Yolo County sheriff's lieutenant at the time, faces 26 charges; prosecutors allege he allowed more than 1 million pounds of illegal fireworks to be stored in the warehouse.
• 05The number of firework storage containers at the warehouse increased from 13 in 2015 to 50 in 2025, according to the Associated Press.
• 06Deputy District Attorney Clara Nabity stated that Machado 'used his role as a trusted lieutenant to help shield the conspiracy as it expanded.'
• 07Tammy Machado, Samuel Machado's wife, was arrested and posted bail; she faces charges including mortgage fraud and child endangerment for storing illicit explosives near a family pool.
• 08Clara Nabity stated at a press conference: 'This is not a case just about fireworks. They are devices that have so much more explosive fireworks than the law allows that they can't be considered fireworks.'

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Multiple people, including Yolo County sheriff's lieutenant Samuel Machado, have been charged with murder and related offenses stemming from a July 1 explosion at a warehouse near Esparto, California that killed seven people. Prosecutors alleged Machado allowed more than 1 million pounds of illegal fireworks to be stored at the facility and used his law enforcement position to avoid accountability; the warehouse expanded from 13 to 50 storage containers between 2015 and 2025. Machado faces 26 charges, and his wife Tammy also was arrested on charges including mortgage fraud and child endangerment.