SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Rescue crews were searching on Thursday for seven people still missing days after an explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Northern California shook a tiny farming community and forced the cancellation of nearby July Fourth celebrations.
The barrage of fireworks that exploded Tuesday caused a massive blaze that led to other spot fires and collapsed the building in Yolo County about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Sacramento.
Family members gathered near a sheriff's checkpoint about a mile from the blast site in rural Esparto, hoping for news about their loved ones. Syanna Ruiz, who is pregnant, said her boyfriend, 18-year-old Jesus Ramos, was working his first day at the warehouse when the explosion occurred. Ramos' brothers, 22-year-old Johnny Ramos and 28-year-old Junior Melendez, were also missing, she said.
''I'm just praying to God that some way, somehow, they're OK,'' Ruiz told the Sacramento Bee on Wednesday.
Two people were treated for injuries, officials said. The cause of the explosion was under investigation.
Yolo County Undersheriff Matthew Davis asked family members for their patience during the slow process of making the smoldering site safe for searchers.
''We cannot move forward and risk injury to anyone else on the scene,'' Davis said during a briefing Thursday afternoon. ''We appreciate and understand how much you want answers, and we're doing everything we can to bring you that.''
The warehouse was managed by Devastating Pyrotechnics, which has more than 30 years of experience designing and producing fireworks shows in the Bay Area, according to a screenshot of its website before it was taken down. The company, with headquarters in both San Francisco and Esparto, focuses mainly on display fireworks for big productions instead of those for retail.