Truck operator at Alabama coal mine dies of burns from fiery explosion refueling a drill rig

Truck operator at Ala. coal mine dies of burns

PARRISH, Ala. — A service truck operator at an Alabama coal mine has died of burns from a fiery explosion that occurred as he fueled a drill rig.

Federal mine safety officials said Thursday that 38-year-old Phillip Wade Gustafson died Tuesday night about an hour after being burned at the Choctaw mine in Parrish, a surface mine owned by parent company Walter Energy.

Walter Energy spokesman Michael Monahan says the cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The agency’s preliminary report says gas or dust ignited the fire as Gustafson fueled the drill rig at the aboveground site.

The mine’s operations are suspended while the investigation is in progress.