Four of 7 Yolo County fireworks warehouse explosion victims lived in Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — More than half of the seven victims killed in a giant explosion at a Yolo County fireworks storage warehouse were San Francisco Bay Area residents, investigators said.

A barrage of fireworks exploded from the warehouse on July 1, igniting a raging fire before the building collapsed in Esparto, California. Autopsies and DNA analysis were completed for the victims Thursday. On Friday, the Yolo County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office confirmed the victims’ identities as:

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• Neil Justin Li, 41, of San Francisco

• Christopher Goltiao Bocog, 45, of San Francisco

• Jesus Manaces Ramos, 18, of San Pablo

• Jhony Ernesto Ramos, 22, of San Pablo

• Angel Mathew Voller, 18, of Stockton

• Carlos Javier Rodriguez-Mora, 43, of San Andreas

• Joel Jeremias Melendez, 28, of Sacramento

Jesus Manaces Ramos and Jhony Ernesto Ramos were brothers, and the younger brother was working his first day on the job when the warehouse exploded. “Erenia ‘Marisol’ Ramos’ life changed forever when she lost two sons, Jhony and Jesus … they had just begun working,” a GoFundMe page states.

Family members of men who worked for the fireworks company, Devastating Pyrotechnics, waited in agony for days to learn news about what happened to their missing loved ones. The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office said its investigators had to wait for the smoldering blast site to cool down before they could enter.

Human remains from all seven victims were later recovered from the charred disaster site.

Several of the victims were fathers who are survived by their young children.

Melendez had a 1-year-old son and a baby on the way. “What should be a joyful and hopeful time has instead become filled with fear, uncertainty, and heartbreak,” his loved ones wrote on GoFundMe.

Bocog’s family wrote on GoFundMe, “He was someone who always put others first — selfless, kind, and a truly devoted father. This devastating tragedy has completely shaken our world. Not knowing exactly what happened to him that day makes it even harder to process and accept this loss.”

The official cause of death for each victim will be determined after toxicology tests are completed, the sheriff’s office said Friday.

Esparto Fire Department Chief Curtis Lawrence said the explosion was “obviously an incident of great magnitude. I have not seen anything like this.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.