Northern California Explosion Tragedy Escalates as Eight Charged in Deaths of Seven Victims

The Yolo County District Attorney announced that eight people were charged in connection with an explosion at an alleged illegal fireworks warehouse that killed seven people.

In July last year, seven people were killed after an explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Yolo County, about 40 miles northwest of Sacramento, triggered a fire that spread to nearby areas and caused the building to collapse.

Authorities recovered the victims' remains from the warehouse over nearly a week.

About one year into the investigation of the warehouse explosion, the Yolo County District Attorney announced on April 10, 2026, that eight people had been charged in connection with the explosion, including a lieutenant in the county's sheriff's office.

At a recent news conference, Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Clara Nabity said five of the eight suspects were charged with seven counts of second-degree murder.

Those arrested on April 9, 2026, included Samuel Machado, 45, a lieutenant with the Yolo County Sheriff's Office, and his wife, Tammy Machado, 46. The others are Gary Chan, 43; Jack Lee, 65; Ronald Botelho; Douglas Tolleson, Kenneth Chee, 48; and Craig Cutright, 61.

Kenneth Chee, Jack Lee, Gary Chan, Douglas Tolleson, and Samuel Machado were each charged with second-degree murder.

Nabity said the initial explosion occurred on the eastern portion of the Machados' property, where the "Devastating Pyrotechnics" operations were located.

According to the indictment, prosecutors allege the five defendants charged with murder were responsible for the initial explosion.

She said the charges allege a "decade-long conspiracy, that prosecutors say turned the property owned by Samuel Machado into a Northern California hub for an alleged illegal enterprise that imported and sold explosives.

"This is not just a case about fireworks. There are devices that have so much more explosive fireworks than the law allows that they can't be considered fireworks. They are explosives," Nabity said.

Nabity said the devices were allegedly explosives packaged for consumer sales under private labels.

She said the products were allegedly manufactured at the warehouse and sold to four companies, whose owners were arrested as part of the investigation, including Chee, owner of Devastating Pyrotechnics; Tolleson, owner of For the Streets Pyro; Botelho, owner of Big Bully and Bad Dad fireworks; and Cutright, owner of Blackstar Fireworks, according to USA Today.

"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.

The indictment alleges the Devastating Pyrotechnics operation expanded from 13 storage containers on the Machados' property in 2015 to more than 50 containers in 2025, along with a 5,000-square-foot warehouse.

Prosecutors said the indictment alleges the operation imported more than 11 million pounds of explosive materials over 10 years, with about one million pounds stored on the property on July 1, 2025.

Seven men were killed in the explosion. The Yolo County Coroner’s Office later identified the victims as, Christopher Goltiao Bocog, 45, of San Francisco, Neil Justin Li, 41, of San Francisco, Joel Jeremias Melendez, 28, of Sacramento, Carlos Javier Rodriguez-Mora, 43, of San Andreas, Jesus Manaces Ramos, 18, of San Pablo, Jhony Ernesto Ramos, 22, of San Pablo, and Angel Mathew Voller, 18, of Stockton.