Mom who lost two sons yells out, ‘I love you, my little ones’

Summary: An 18-year-old man who just learned he was going to be a father was killed on his first day working inside an unlicensed fireworks facility.

The incident: When Jesus Manaces Ramos of San Pablo, CA, learned that his girlfriend, Syanna Ruiz, was pregnant, he was overjoyed. He said to Ruiz, “My son is going to know his father’s legacy.”

Ramas was aware that he needed to earn money to support his son, so he took a job working alongside his brother, Jhony Ernesto Ramos, at Devastating Pyrotechnics in Esparto, CA.

On his first day on the job, Jesus was overjoyed to be working with his brother and several family friends. Their day turned tragic, however, when a small fire ignited inside the facility.

The fire spread quickly. Within minutes, it reached some of the fireworks stored on the property. Suddenly, the fireworks ignited and there was a huge explosion.

The response: The explosion caused a fire that spread over 78 acres and took several days to extinguish. The Ramos brothers were among the seven workers killed in the incident.

The aftermath: Investigators found out that the Devastating Pyrotechnics building was located on property that was zoned for agricultural use only. In addition, Yolo County, CA, hadn’t issued permits for a fireworks operation on the site. The cause of the initial fire remains unknown.

Meanwhile, the Ramos family was left to grieve for the loss of their loved ones. Jesus, 18, and Jhony, 22, were inseparable in life, so they were buried in separate caskets in the same grave.

As each casket was lowered into the hole, their mother, Marisol Hernandez, stood near the caskets and, with tears welling in her eyes, yelled in agony, “I love you, my little ones.”

(From the August 18, 2025, issue of Safety Alert for Supervisors. To start your no-obligation trial subscription to the publication right now, please click here.)