Three Southern California employers have been cited more than $500,000 for a 2011 explosion at a Sylmar alternative-energy warehouse that severely injured two people, said Cal/OSHA in a statement on Friday.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health says citations were issued to Realm Catalyst, Rainbow of Hope Foundation and Strategic Sciences, Inc.
Gallery: LAFD Images From Sylmar
The regulator says 42-year-old Timothy Larson and 66-year-old William Stehl were preparing to demonstrate the use of an experimental fuel when a cylinder of the gas exploded because it was being handled in an unsafe work area.
Realm Catalyst faces $239,800 in penalties, Rainbow of Hope faces $329,625 and Strategic Sciences $61,465.
The citations were issued on Feb. 7. The employers have 15 days to file appeals.
The Los Angeles Daily News reported that the three interconnected companies were linked to a suspected New York con artist and a San Fernando Valley attorney.
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Realm Catalyst was owned by lawyer Timothy A. Larson and father of Timothy B. Larson who lost an arm and a leg in the explosion.
One of the men injured in the blast, Tim Larson, is a relative of Tyson Larson, the green energy entrepreneur killed a similar June 2010 explosion at a plant in Simi Valley.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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