Gary Chan Jr. Walks Free on Bail After Esparto Fireworks Tragedy

Woodland, Calif. — On a Thursday night that felt oddly quiet compared to the roar of last summer’s disaster, a judge finally lifted the shackles on Gary Chan Jr., one of the men accused in the July 1, 2025, Esparto fireworks explosion that claimed seven lives.

Chan, whose name appears on the federal license for Devasturing Pyrotechnics—the company that shared the ill‑fated site with a rival—had been sitting in a county jail ever since he was handed a $400,000 bail package last week. The catch? He needed to prove that the money came from a legitimate source before the bond could actually be posted.

Enter a rather unexpected witness: a woman who rents the very house where Chan lives. She told the court she pays the mortgage herself and doesn’t rely on any contribution from Chan, essentially confirming that the cash he intended to use for bail was indeed his own.

Armed with that testimony, Chan was allowed to hand over a $24,000 premium to a bail bondsman, satisfying the same conditions that other defendants in the case have faced. The restrictions are strict—no contact with co‑defendants, no involvement in any fireworks‑related activity, and a host of other courtroom‑mandated limits.

While Chan’s release was the headline, the courtroom drama didn’t stop there. Another defendant, Jack Lee, also charged with murder, found himself in a different bind: he simply didn’t have the money to hire a private attorney. Lee had been riding the indigent‑defendant program, but a recent ruling declared him not indigent, leaving him in a limbo of legal limbo.

The judge pressed Lee’s counsel for answers, asking why a lien couldn’t be placed on an asset Lee hopes to liquidate by November. The lawyer admitted the situation was tangled, and Lee was asked to name the attorney he intends to hire moving forward. He did—naming a private lawyer, but the judge gave him roughly six weeks—until the next status conference on Nov. 12—to actually secure representation.

Prosecutors, growing impatient, noted that Lee’s defense team had been working pro bono under the assumption they’d eventually be paid. They also raised concerns about a request from Lee’s new counsel to pause the proceedings until November, a move that could stretch the already‑long timeline of the seven‑murder indictment.

Adding another layer of complexity, the prosecution accused Kenneth Chee’s attorney of trying to shield evidence by invoking marital privilege. The judge pushed back, ordering an unredacted version of the communications log to be turned over, though Chee may still argue for privilege on certain entries.

For context, Chee owns Devasturing Pyrotechnics, the other company that operated at the Esparto site and now faces the same murder charges as Chan and Lee.

All eyes will turn to the November 12 status conference, where the court will review how Lee’s defense is shaping up and whether any further bail conditions are needed for the remaining defendants.