Cal Fire whistleblower says Esparto warnings were ignored. Here’s what to know

A Cal Fire investigator says he warned colleagues for months that a fireworks company was “hemorrhaging product” across California before a July 2025 explosion in Esparto killed seven men. Internal communications reveal the agency knew about the illegal operation and did not act.

Read more Nearly 300,000 of California’s youngest eligible voters haven’t registered

We wrote about his revelations in this story: Cal Fire investigator says his warnings about the Esparto fireworks danger were ignored

Read more Week in photos: Celebrity golf + State Fair + beating the heat + dogs

Here are key takeaways:

• Investigator Gershom Slonim has come forward as a whistleblower, saying he repeatedly urged action against Devastating Pyrotechnics before the July 1, 2025, Esparto explosion. “Esparto broke me,” he told The Bee.
• On May 21, 2025, Cal Fire raided a Devastating Pyrotechnics warehouse in Commerce and seized 500,000 pounds of illegal fireworks — the largest such seizure in state history. Forty-one days later, the Esparto compound exploded, killing seven men.
• Text messages show Slonim pushed to raid Esparto after the Commerce seizure. Investigator Nicholas Schroeder replied that federal agents were “gonna hit it.” No federal raid occurred, and 87,000 pounds of illegal fireworks arrived in Esparto on June 26, five days before the blast.
• Kenneth Chee, identified as the owner of Devastating Pyrotechnics, and five others have been charged with seven counts of murder. Documents show the investigation into the company dated back to at least 2021.
• Slonim’s peace officer status was suspended Monday after he posted about the case on LinkedIn. Cal Fire spokesperson Ricardo Coronado said the agency “stands by its investigatory and regulatory efforts” and declined to comment on personnel matters.