Three arrested, indictments made in Esparto fireworks explosion that killed 7

Daniel Lempres, The Sacramento Bee on Apr 9, 2026

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Yolo County grand jury has made indictments for the July fireworks explosion in Esparto that killed seven people and ignited a 78-acre wildfire, the District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

At least three people connected to the Esparto fireworks explosion have been arrested. Sam Machado, a Yolo County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant, and his wife, Tammy Machado, who owned the property where fireworks were warehoused, were taken into custody. Tammy Machado was bonded out shortly after booking, Sam Machado remains in custody, jail records show.

Also arrested was Craig Cutright, longtime show producer for Devastating Pyrotechnics who formed his own fireworks company, BlackStar Fireworks, in 2023. Cutright worked as a volunteer firefighter for the Esparto Fire Protection District for about two years before the explosion. Cutright remains in custody, according to jail records.

The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office said it will hold a news conference Friday morning to announce the indictments.

The grand jury was impaneled by the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, which led a nine-month criminal investigation that District Attorney Jeff Reisig described as the most complex in county history.

The investigation revealed a sprawling fireworks operation spanning nearly the entire length of California, headquartered on the property of a Yolo County Sheriff’s lieutenant with the tacit permission of local building and fire officials.

County prosecutors worked closely with the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the division of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection that regulates fireworks. Cal Fire focused on the cause of the explosion and completed its investigation in February.

The investigation led to the October discovery of illegal fireworks in the east Los Angeles home of Luis Acosta, which prompted a nearby high school’s evacuation. In December, investigators seized a cache of illegal fireworks in Crescent City and arrested the homeowner Ronald Boethe.

The investigation also led to greater scrutiny of other incidents involving fireworks, including a 2023 explosion in San Jose and a record-setting seizure in the Southern California city of Commerce just weeks before the Esparto blast.

The warehouse leased by the fireworks company lacked critical safety features, a Cal-Osha investigation found. It also lacked proper local permits from county building officials, a civil grand jury found.

Nineteen claims were filed against Yolo County after the explosion. In December, a $35 million claim was filed by family members of the victims and people who lived near the Esparto property. Those claims were all denied, leaving claimants until late July to file lawsuits.

Online jail records showed Sam Machado remained in custody at the Sutter County Jail as of 2 p.m. Tammy Machado was booked in Yolo County and released on bond Tuesday. Cutright was booked in Yolo County around 10 a.m. and remained in custody at the Monroe Detention Center in Woodland as of late Thursday afternoon.