Shauntel Sarionder walks her dog Bella in front of a fireworks stand at Esparto Community Park on Thursday, July 3, 2025. “It’s a quiet community, everybody knows each other,” said Sarionder, who has lived in Esparto for 10 years. JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS [email protected]

In the first moments after explosions at a fireworks warehouse in Esparto rocked the community, a man who lived nearby sprang into action towards falling flames and live fireworks, just hoping he could help.

Seven individuals are still missing as of Thursday evening, after a massive explosion two days prior at a fireworks storage warehouse in Esparto led to a series of fires and blasts that were heard