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.

The mile perimeter around the disaster sight remains locked down. The updates are few and far between. The fate of seven missing persons is unspoken. And, the sun has set on this tragedy for a third a