Overview
- Investigators made the arrests Thursday in the case of the July 1, 2025 warehouse blast that killed seven workers and injured two in Esparto, with the district attorney set to announce indictments Friday.
- Those arrested include property owners Samuel and Tammy Machado, who worked for the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office, and fireworks operator Craig Cutright, with Devastating Pyrotechnics owner Kenneth Chee taken into custody in Florida.
- Florida jail records show Chee faces seven counts of murder and a conspiracy charge, and local outlets report several other defendants also face murder counts.
- The explosion ignited thousands of pounds of fireworks and burned about 78 acres, destroying the rural site and damaging nearby homes, according to investigators and prior reports.
- A civil grand jury found county officials knew illegal fireworks work was happening for years without code enforcement, while Cal Fire revoked company licenses and CAL/OSHA issued more than $200,000 in fines, a backdrop that could drive changes to local oversight and conflict-of-interest safeguards.