New Mexico Man Dies In Explosion At Colorado Well Site

DURANGO, Colo. (AP) -- A New Mexico man died earlier this month following an explosion at a natural gas well site on the Southern Ute Reservation in southwest Colorado.

The Durango Herald reports the preliminary investigation indicates 47-year-old Randy Yellowman was working alone at the time of the Jan. 2 explosion.

Yellowman was working as a driver for Overright Trucking Inc. based in Farmington, New Mexico. The company was contracted by Denver-based Catamount Energy Partners LLC.

Overright Trucking did not return the newspaper's calls.

Rusty Kelly, senior vice president for Catamount Energy, says it is "unclear at this time" what caused the explosion.

Kelly says initial information indicates Yellowman was transferring produced water from a tank to his truck when the explosion occurred.

U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration says it's investigating the death.

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