Several huge explosions erupted at a California fireworks facility just days before the Fourth of July, shaking homes and sparking “numerous spot fires” that forced locals to evacuate, officials said.
Multiple blasts were reported from the facility in Esparto in Yolo County on Tuesday evening, with fireworks detonating amid the flames that engulfed several structures, according to KCRA.
“All we felt was everything shake,” Esparto resident Bryan Sandoval, who was at his home when he heard the first explosion, told the Sacramento Bee — with others saying they thought it was an earthquake.
Photos from the sky show several buildings on fire, sending smoke some 10,000 to 15,000 feet high, according to CBS News
Explosions were still seen hours later, with the thick smoke creating an acrid smell throughout the one-mile evacuation zone, the Bee reported.
Authorities declined to say if anybody was injured, but confirmed that multiple structures had been damaged or destroyed.
The initial explosion, which was first reported from a warehouse on the property around 5:50 p.m., caused “numerous spot fires” in the area, Esparto Fire Protection District Chief Curtis Lawrence told reporters at a press conference.
“Units responding arrived on scene to find a few commercial buildings well-involved as well as numerous explosions and numerous spot fires throughout the area,” Lawrence said.
Locals told CBS News that at least two separate explosions rattled their windows. Some thought it was an earthquake, with explosions shaking the ground every few minutes.
The collective blaze sparked by the explosion, dubbed the Oakdale Fire, had spread to over 78 acres before its progress was halted around 7:30 p.m., officials said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office confirmed it was monitoring the situation.
Esparto is a small, rural town of about 3,000 people roughly 35 miles northwest of Sacramento.