Man dies after accidentally being cooked

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SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- An employee at a California seafood plant died after he was cooked in an oven in an industrial accident, authorities said.

Jose Melena, a 6-year employee of Bumble Bee Foods, died Thursday when he somehow became stuck in an industrial cooker, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, West Covina, Calif., reported.

The initial investigation of the incident found that, "he was fatally injured when he was cooked in an oven," said California Division of Occupational Safety and Health spokeswoman Erika Monterroza, adding that Melena's death has been labeled an accident.

It is so far unclear how Melena ended up inside the industrial cooker.

"This is a horrendous tragedy," Monterroza said.

Bumble Bee Foods vice president of human resources Pat Menke expressed condolences to Melena's family in a written statement.

"The entire Bumble Bee Foods family is saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Melena family," he said.

"Operations at Bumble Bee Foods' Santa Fe Springs processing plant have been suspended since yesterday morning to allow for a thorough investigation," Menke said. "We expect to be able to resume operations on Monday."

Under OSHA policy, the investigation must be completed within six months, Monterroza said.

"Once all of the facts are gathered, at that point, a determination will be made if California health and safety regulations were violated," she said.