Local Man Charged in Deadly Fireworks Explosion

A San Ramon man was charged with seven counts of murder after a fireworks facility exploded in Esparto and killed seven people. (patch.com) Yolo County prosecutors said a grand jury indicted eight people in the case, and five of them face seven counts each of second-degree murder. The charges were announced on April 10, 2026, about nine months after the July 1, 2025 blast. (abc10.com) The defendant highlighted in local reports, 28-year-old Jesus Ramos of San Ramon, was arrested at Walt Disney World in Florida, according to Patch. Other defendants include people tied to the fireworks business and a Yolo County sheriff’s lieutenant and his wife, according to local television reports. (patch.com) (kcra.com) Prosecutors say the case centers on an illegal fireworks operation in rural Esparto, a farming community in Yolo County northwest of Sacramento. The July 1 explosion destroyed a warehouse site, triggered a fire later called the Oakdale Fire, and injured two other people. (patch.com) (yolocounty.gov) The seven people who died were all men between 18 and 45, and county officials publicly identified them on July 11, 2025. The Yolo County coroner later ruled that all seven died immediately from multiple blast and thermal injuries. (abc10.com) (patch.com) The charges followed a long investigation led by California fire investigators and the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office. KCRA reported in February that Cal Fire found signs of criminal activity and turned its findings over to prosecutors. (kcra.com) Court filings have since widened the case beyond the July blast itself. CapRadio reported on April 21 that prosecutors alleged fireworks linked to the defendants killed at least two other people before and after the Esparto explosion. (capradio.org) The criminal case is still moving, and prosecutors have said additional people could still face charges. For now, the Esparto blast that leveled a fireworks site last summer has become a multi-defendant homicide case stretching from Yolo County to Florida. (kcra.com)