The Yolo County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the declaration of a local emergency after a fireworks facility fire and explosion had an entire community shaken to its core on July 1.

The action took place during the board’s Tuesday, July 8 meeting, just one week after an explosion at an Esparto fireworks storage facility killed seven people. The meeting opened up with seven seconds of silence to signify the loss of each victim, which was led by Yolo County Supervisor Angel Barajas.

According to the California Government Code, the board of supervisors can proclaim the existence or threatened existence of a local emergency when Yolo County is affected or likely to be affected by certain conditions beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities within the county.

“We did receive additional information … that significantly increased our understanding of the nature of damage to public infrastructure, the extent of damage to private property and the potential for the county’s ongoing involvement in cleanup and other activities at the sight,” Yolo County Board of Supervisors Counsel Phil Pogledich said in the Tuesday meeting.

The declaration approved by supervisors states work at the explosion site is expected to continue “for an unknown but likely extended period of time and will require continued collaboration by various local, state and federal agencies.”

“These conditions are, and will continue to be, beyond the resources and control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of the County and other local agencies, including but not limited to the Esparto Fire Protection District,” the declaration reads.

The passage of the local emergency authorizes the Director of Emergency Services and other authorized staff to utilize all extraordinary police and planning powers in response to this local emergency, which includes the ability to modify, amend, or issue orders, rules, regulations, and other mandates for the duration of the emergency. Public employees, officers, and governing bodies within the County are also granted full immunity to the extent allowed by law for actions undertaken in compliance with this proclamation.

The order also requests federal and state agencies to provide disaster response, law enforcement, investigative, financial and other assistance to the County and other local agencies.

The explosion occurred Tuesday, July 1, at approximately 5:52 p.m. at a fireworks storage warehouse in Esparto, located near County Road 86A and County Road 23, triggering a series of fires and blasts that were heard and felt as far away as Vacaville and Woodland.

On Friday morning, the Yolo County Coroner’s Division confirmed the finding of human remains during a coordinated recovery operation.

The remains of all seven people missing were recovered on Sunday as the fallout continued after a massive explosion at a fireworks facility rocked the Esparto community early last week. County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lt. Don Harmon said Saturday just before 6 p.m. that authorities had “located all seven” and that they had recovered six bodies, with the recovery of the seventh in progress at that time.

Two folks from the public spoke after the passage of the emergency declaration regarding the Oakdale fire. One of these people was Marian Flanders, who voiced her concerns for the potential chemicals in the air in her community following the explosion.

She also referenced the site’s zoning, which, through investigation, was revealed to only be permitted for agricultural use.

“How did the county allow for a non-permitted, volatile endeavor to exist in an area zoned for agriculture?” Flanders asked the board in her comments. “Both the Sheriff’s Department and the Fire Departments knew of the existence of explosives … how do residents now have any faith in their abilities to protect the community? Is this not a betrayal of trust?”

Leo Romero was the other speaker, and he lives approximately one mile from the blast site.

“It was horrendous,” Romero recounted to the board. “It was two blasts — one right after the other. That mushroom cloud that went about a mile in the air, I was told, could be seen from satellite.”

Romero said, despite living just a mile away from the site of the fire, he and other neighbors hadn’t received any guidance or information other than the press conferences held in conjunction with the state fire marshal’s office.

“Something’s got to be done — seven people are dead, and is the county liable for that?” Romero asked the board.

Romero said he, along with others in his community, are concerned about the various unclear factors surrounding the tragedy.

According to reporting from SFGate, the warehouse was reportedly owned by Devastating Pyrotechnics, a company with an active pyrotechnics license. However, state records indicate another company known as BlackStar Fireworks was listed at the same address.

BlackStar Fireworks’ owner is listed as an individual named Craig Cutright, who not only is an employee of Devastating Pyrotechnics but also a volunteer firefighter with the Esparto Fire Protection District. During a press conference on July 7, Esparto Fire Protection District Chief Curtis Lawrence said Cutright is now on a leave of absence.

The land on which the warehouse was located is owned by a Yolo County Sheriff’s deputy named Sam Machado, according to the same SFGate report. CBS News reported the deputy’s house on the property was also destroyed in the explosion, though they were unable to confirm if Machado was injured.

When asked about Machado’s current employment status, Yolo County Undersheriff Coroner Matt Davis told reporters for KTLA that it was a personnel matter.

“I don’t know about the rest of my neighbors, but some of us are very upset by what’s gone on,” Romero told the board. “If that blast site had been any larger, the town of Esparto would be gone.”