By Daniel Lempres
The Sacramento Bee
ESPARTO, Calif. — The families of the seven men killed in the July 1, 2025, Esparto fireworks explosion have filed suit against fireworks companies and dozens of state and local agencies and employees on Friday, alleging years of regulatory failures allowed an illegal and unsafe operation to continue unchecked.
The lawsuit includes claims of professional negligence, fraud, nuisance, negligence, labor code violations and wrongful death. Seven neighbors whose property was damaged by the explosion also are plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
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The suit names the state of California and the Office of the State Fire Marshal, which is responsible for fireworks regulations and licensing. It also names Yolo County, the Esparto Fire Protection District and the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office.
The suit alleges that close ties between those involved in the fireworks operation and the entities tasked with overseeing it allowed the companies “to operate and create a dangerous condition of property without oversight, permits or enforcement of any safety regulations.”
The families submitted a claim to Yolo County in December seeking $35 million in damages, which was denied.
The suit names Craig Cutright, the former Esparto volunteer firefighter who formed Blackstar Fireworks Inc. on the Esparto property in 2023. It also names Kenneth Chee, the CEO of Devastating Pyrotechnics, and several others linked to the company that prosecutors allege was at the center of the fireworks operation on the Esparto property. Cutright and Chee are among the eight people facing criminal charges in connection with the explosion.
It also names Esparto Fire Protection District Chief Curtis Lawrence and several employees in the Yolo County Community Services Department, which includes the building and planning offices. The suit alleges those employees knew the warehouse constructed on the property in 2022 would be used for fireworks storage and operations but did not enforce applicable safety and environmental requirements.
The suit names former Yolo County Sheriff’s Lt. Sam Machado and his wife, Tammy Machado, who owned the property, and Tammy Machado’s sister, Reiko Matsumura, a former Yolo County sheriff’s deputy who went on leave after the explosion and retired in September. Sam and Tammy Machado face criminal charges. Matsumura does not.
The suit names California State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant, whose office issued fireworks licenses to Devastating Pyrotechnics and Blackstar Fireworks. The suit alleges his office failed to follow up on warning signs and scrutinize the Esparto companies, citing a 2023 explosion in San Jose and a record-breaking fireworks seizure in southern California shortly before the deadly blast in Esparto.
The nearly 30 plaintiffs are represented by 11 attorneys from five law firms. In a Friday news release announcing the lawsuit, the attorneys repeatedly said the deadly explosion “did not need to happen.”
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