Smoke and flames rise during a fireworks warehouse explosion near Esparto, Calif., July 1, 2025. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat via AP, File)

Five people have been charged with murder in a deadly Northern California explosion at an illegal fireworks warehouse that killed seven people and shook a tiny farming community, authorities said Friday.

The charges stem from a grand jury indictment related to the July 1 explosion that injured two others, Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Clara Nabity said. One of the people charged with murder is Samuel Machado, who was a Yolo County Sheriff’s Department lieutenant at the time of the explosion. He illegally stored more than 1 million pounds of fireworks at his property and used his position at the sheriff’s office to evade scrutiny as the operation grew, she said.

The explosion near the community of Esparto, about 40 milesnorthwest of Sacramento, sparked a massive fire and led to nearby Fourth of July celebrations being called off.

“Samuel Machado’s participation included using his role as a trusted lieutenant to help shield the conspiracy as it expanded, and the expansion was significant,” Nabity said, adding that the warehouse went from having 13 fireworks storage containers in 2015 to 50 last year.

Machado’s sprawling 5,000-square-footwarehouse property was used to store and sell fireworks by other men indicted in the case.

Nabity said a total of eight people face 30 charges in the case, including murder, conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of illegal assault weapons, illegal explosives possession, insurance fraud, child endangerment and animal cruelty.

All those charged are scheduled to be arraigned in Yolo County on Monday.