BAY LAKE, Fla. – The owner of a Northern California pyrotechnics company accused of illegally storing fireworks at the site of a deadly 2025 explosion was arrested at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Kenneth Kin Chee, 48, of San Francisco, was taken into custody by Orange County Sheriff’s deputies around noon on Wednesday.
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Chee is the owner of Devastating Pyrotechnics, the company whose illegal fireworks were being stored at the site of a July 1 explosion in Esparto, California, that killed seven people — all employees of the company, officials said
Chee is among seven people arrested in connection with the explosion. The Yolo County Civil Grand Jury released a report last month alleging top Yolo County officials were aware of illegal fireworks operations at the site for at least three years, but that “no code enforcement occurred” and the lack of oversight directly led to “death and destruction.”
Chee faces seven counts of murder, one count of conspiracy, illegal possession of explosives, manufacturing a destructive device without a permit, and possession of a destructive device, according to the arrest affidavit.
Chee was booked into the Orange County jail with no bond.