Esparto man "heard screams" as he tried to help after California fireworks explosions
In the first moments after explosions at a fireworks warehouse in Northern California rocked the Yolo County community of Esparto, a man who lived nearby sprang into action towards falling flames and live fireworks, just hoping he could help.
Alberto Vega was in the right place, at the right time and with the right equipment. When water and power shut off during the chaos of Tuesday's explosions, he saw a chance to help, not realizing that he'd be a first witness to this tragedy.
From the driver's seat of his water truck, Vega was on the frontline of chaos and devastation, which was like nothing he could have imagined.
"It looked like fireballs coming down to the ground," he said. "Next thing you know, a fire popping up here, a fire popping up there."
Vega started filming in disbelief while spraying water on fires moving quickly through farmland and brush.
"It happened so fast, the flames were just... it seemed like they were nine, 10 feet tall," he said.
When one fire was out, another would start. forcing Vega to fill up down the road at the community pool. After restocking with another few thousand gallons, he'd start again with the heat growing more intense.
"There's no time to really waste," he said. "I felt that it was the right place, at the right time. I did what I could."
The fire was coming up behind him as he rolled down his window and said a prayer. In the silence, Vega said, "I heard screams."
"As crazy as it sounds, with the explosions going off and whatnot, I know that I heard yelling," he said. "Just not being able to see people, not being able to get to them, that's where it weighs on me."
As of Thursday night, more than 48 hours after the initial explosion, seven people remain unaccounted for. Details have remained limited from law enforcement, but investigators were finally able to enter the property, which they still deemed too dangerous the night prior.
Among the seven people missing are three brothers whose family identified as 8-year-old Jesus Ramos, 22-year-old Johnny Ramos and 28-year-old Junior Melendez. A fourth person was identified by family as Carlos Rodriguez. The other three people remain unidentified. Law enforcement officials have not confirmed the identities of the seven people.
Vega said that he didn't even know the fireworks facility was there before the explosions, and he hasn't been able to forget what he heard.
"It made my stomach sink to the bottom of my feet," he said. "I know that somebody who is going through a situation like that and screams at the top of their lungs, you're going to hear it."
Shaken but focused, Vega emptied the tank in his truck and got out of there, thinking not of his safety, but of the people he heard screaming.
"There's somebody's pride and joy in there, somebody's relatives in there, husband in there," he said.
