Sheriff's lieutenant with million-pound fireworks stash led to deadly blast, prosecutors say

• A former Yolo County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant is among five people charged with murder following a deadly fireworks explosion that killed seven warehouse workers in Esparto last July.

• Two pyrotechnic companies stored millions of pounds of explosives on the lieutenant’s property over the course of a decade, while he used his position to shield the illicit operation from scrutiny, prosecutors allege.

A former Yolo County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant is one of five people charged with murder following a fireworks warehouse explosion that killed seven workers in the rural Northern California community of Esparto last summer, authorities said.

Samuel Machado is accused of illegally having 1 million pounds of fireworks on his property at the time of the blast and using his law enforcement position to shield the illicit operation from scrutiny for years, according to the Yolo County district attorney’s office.

Machado was placed on administrative leave following the violent July 1 explosion, which was felt by residents up to 20 miles away, destroyed a family farm and sparked a 78-acre grass fire.

Devastating Pyrotechnics LLC and Blackstar Fireworks, Inc., are accused of manufacturing and storing explosives — including some too powerful to even be legally considered fireworks — on Machado’s property. On Friday, Yolo County Dist. Atty. Jeff Reisig announced a 30-count felony indictment had been filed against seven people connected to the blast, following the largest investigation he’s seen in two decades at the office. A separate five-count felony indictment was filed against an eighth defendant, Machado’s wife.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-04-10/ex-sheriffs-lieutenant-among-5-charged-in-california-fireworks-blast