Florida pyrotechnics company to challenge $100K fine in deadly 2022 warehouse blaze
A Florida-based pyrotechnics company facing nearly $110,000 in proposed fines by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after fireworks exploded inside a warehouse in Orange County, killing four of its employees, is fighting the charges.
OSHA charged Magic in the Sky with 12 "serious" citations, totaling $109,375 in penalties, in the December 2022 deadly blaze.
Among the alleged violations, OSHA said Magic in the Sky failed to properly store its fireworks, had no written procedures or an emergency action plan, did not have a hazard communication program, and did not ensure electrical equipment in the area was designed to be used in hazardous locations.
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Magic in the Sky facing $100K penalty in deadly fireworks warehouse explosion: OSHA
Florida-based Magic in the Sky faces more than $110,000 in proposed penalties from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after fireworks ignited inside a warehouse in December 2022, sparking a massive blaze, killing four people and injuring a fifth.
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New lawsuit alleges Magic in the Sky tested fireworks at warehouse facility where 4 died
Just over five months ago, a warehouse in Orange County that was being used to store fireworks caught on fire, killing four people and critically injuring another.
Online OSHA records state that Magic in the Sky has formally indicated that it will contest all 12 charges. That process will now be handled through the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, which is an independent agency from OSHA.
Magic in the Sky has not commented on the violations or the challenge to those violations.
The fire ripped through the Magic in the Sky facility on Dec. 1, 2022, killing Tiralongo, Landon Bourland, 24, David Gonzales, 22, and Lindsey Phillips, 23. Several others were injured in the fire, including 27-year-old Lindsey Tallafuss, who received burns to 60% of her body, according to her family.
The families of Tiralongo and Bourland have each filed lawsuits against Magic in the Sky following their deaths.
The landlord of the warehouse has also filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging that it was under the impression that Magic in the Sky would use the space for corporate offices, not to test or store fireworks.