Man dies in rice field blast

A man died in a blast Saturday near Colusa, the Colusa County Sheriff's Office reported.

The incident happened in a rice field at the south end of Wescott Road south of Colusa and north of Able Road.

Roberto Ayala, 43, of Grimes, turned on an irrigation pump at the electrical switch when the blast occurred, the Sheriff's Office said.

The man's 7-year-old son ran two miles to a home and told the residents that there was an explosion and his father was on fire, the Sheriff's Office said. The resident called authorities at about 1:20 p.m.

Sheriff's deputies, firefighters from the Sacramento River Fire Colusa Station and Enloe Medical Center medics went to the scene, along with officials from Cal/OSHA and Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

The youth was not injured in the explosion but received minor scratches while running to find help, the Sheriff's Office said. He was released to his mother.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation. An autopsy is tentatively scheduled for Monday.