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FIRESTONE, Colo. (KDVR) — The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) announced Monday that Kerr-McGee, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum, will be fined $18.25 million for the fatal 2017 Firestone home explosion.

Mark Martinez and Joey Irwin were killed in the April 2017 blast, which was linked to an improperly abandoned and severed Anadarko pipeline.

Occidental took over operations for Anadarko in August 2019.

According to the COGCC, it is the regulators’ largest fine it has ever imposed by a factor of 11.

The regulators thanked Erin Martinez, who lost her husband (Mark Martinez) and brother (Irwin) in the explosion.

“We thank Mrs. Martinez, the Commissioners and COGCC staff for their work that will ensure the state of Colorado’s oil and gas operations are conducted in a manner that is protective of the public’s health, safety, welfare, wildlife and the environment as directed by SB 19-181,” said COGCC Director Jeff Robbins in a statement issued Monday afternoon. “Over the next few months, the COGCC will be focused on developing new rules that reflect this commitment to protect Coloradans in oil and gas operations.

Robbins said the fines will go toward “The Mark Martinez and Joey Irwin Memorial Public Projects Fund.”

The fund will pay for a number of projects aimed at detecting and preventing gas leaks in Colorado.

Some of the measures include aerial surveys, a mobile air monitoring van, optical gas imaging cameras, and new gas detection and metering equipment.