Family of father killed in Esparto fireworks explosion wants transparency from Yolo County officials ...Middle East

It's been more than a week since a deadly explosion at a rural Yolo County fireworks facility took the lives of seven workers.

The Yolo County Coroner's Office is still working to positively identify the remains of all the victims. Family members told CBS13 on Wednesday night that they got a call alerting them that at least three of the victims have been identified, but the county has not released an official update to the public.

The facility, owned by company Devastating Pyrotechnics, held multiple state licenses but was not permitted at the local level to store fireworks on this property. 

Family members of the victims continue to speak out, advocating that someone must be held accountable.  "I'm feeling angry. I'm feeling very angry that those people don't think of my son like a person. They didn't care that this body blew up. They didn't care, they didn't care about him. They didn't care," Lupe Melendez Mendoza said through sobs.

Her son, Joel "Junior" Melendez, 28, was killed in the blast. Lupe said her strong words are directed at the fireworks company that employed her son and also at county and state officials, who have provided limited information in the investigation.

Lupe wants her son to be remembered as a great father, brother and friend.

"Somebody that was loved very much. Somebody that was very needed," said Lupe. "He was the sunshine of my life. The sunshine of my life."

Junior was working to support his wife, Maria, and their growing family. The two have a baby together and Maria is also pregnant with their second child.

More than $25,000 has been raised in an online fundraiser so far to support the young family now left without their main provider.

"I'm tired of crying so much. I can't even cry anymore. I just feel like, who the hell is responsible for this?" Lupe asked.

CBS13 took that question on Tuesday night to the State Fire Marshal, the lead in the investigation, who said his agency is working hard for answers, but there is not a lot they can release at this time.

"We really can't provide play-by-play details because we have to piece everything back together. We've got to build a case that we can bring to a District Attorney, bring to the courts so we can adjudicate this case and hold anybody, if there was a violation, responsible," said Chief Daniel Berlant, State Fire Marshal.

Tuesday, Berlant confirmed the San Francisco business address of Devastating Pyrotechnics' owner, Kenny Chee, was raided in connection with the explosion.

At this time, no one is facing any criminal charges.

Junior's uncle, Larry Sullivan, told CBS13 that their family has obtained video and photo evidence showing what they believe proves the warehouse was unsafe. They are working now on legal action.

"This needs to be opened up. There is too much silence," said Sullivan. "I didn't see any safety warning, I didn't see gate control or access control. When I looked at the inventory inside the warehouse, it looked like the inventory was way overstocked. It looked to me like they crowded these pyrotechnics from the floor almost to the ceiling without proper ventilation. Having been in the military as long as I was in the military, I can tell you right now, that's not safe."

They're pointing the finger at Yolo County officials. Lupe says in the past she encouraged her son to get a 'safer' job, concerned about him working near fireworks and explosives. Lupe says her son told her he felt he was safe at work.

"He said, 'Mom, don't worry about it. How can it go wrong? There's a cop and a firefighter. We trust them,' " Lupe said.

As CBS13 first reported last week, Devastating Pyrotechnics did not have a local permit to store fireworks at this facility. The land is only zoned for agricultural use.

And yet, a Yolo County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant, Sam Machado, owned the property. Esparto Fire volunteer firefighter, Craig Cutright, also worked there and owned BlackStar Fireworks, with the same address listed as Devastating Pyrotechnics.

Sullivan is calling on both law enforcement agencies to be more forthcoming and transparent.

"But they were there for a long, long time. It's not like this was a brand new thing and they didn't know these people. They knew them. They were probably on a first-name basis. How can they not have a perspective on what was going on at the facility? How could they let this happen? These are kids that got blown to bits. It's ridiculous," Sullivan said as Lupe cried into her hands.

The identities of four victims have been confirmed by family members.

Brothers Jhony Ramos Jr. and Jesus Ramos perished in the blast. Junior Melendez and Carlos Rodriguez have also been identified by their families.

The three other victims are known to CBS13, but their families have not given permission for their names and photos to be released.

It is not clear when Yolo County officials will give their next update, but the State Fire Marshal's investigation at the explosion site is ongoing.

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