Authorities say five people have been charged with murder in a deadly Northern California explosion at a fireworks warehouse that killed seven people.

The explosion last July in Esparto, Calif., killed seven people. Five of the eight arrested, including a former local police officer, have been charged with murder.

Samuel Machado remained held without bail in Yolo County custody after emotional statements from victims' families and prosecutors' arguments Thursday

A former Northern California sheriff lieutenant and the owner of a fireworks company have been arrested and charged with murder following last year’s horrific explosion at an illegal fireworks factory in Yolo county that killed seven people.

Kenneth Chee was arrested at Disney World in connection to a fireworks explosion that killed 7 people in California in July 2025