3rd man dies after gas blast at Chesapeake Energy oil well near Bryan

Oil field worker Brian Maldonado, 25, of San Diego, Texas, died on Saturday, the Alice Echo News-Journal reported. Oil field worker Brian Maldonado, 25, of San Diego, Texas, died on Saturday, the Alice Echo News-Journal reported. Photo: Alice Echo News-Journal Photo: Alice Echo News-Journal Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close 3rd man dies after gas blast at Chesapeake Energy oil well near Bryan 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A third man has died after a gas explosion Wednesday at a Chesapeake Energy oil well in Burleson County, according to media reports.

Oil field worker Brian Maldonado, 25, of San Diego, Texas, died on Saturday, the Alice Echo News-Journal reported.

Company officials could not immediately be reached for comment, but Maldonado was part of a crew working at a Chesapeake Energy oil well west of Bryan, Texas, when natural gas in the well ignited at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The blast killed 38-year-old Windell Beddingfield of Tyler at the scene; Maldonado and two other men were taken by helicopters to hospitals in Houston and Austin.

Fatal Accident: Ignition of natural gas blamed in fatal oil well accident

A second worker, who has yet to be identified by authorities or company officials, died Thursday.

Maldonado was flown to the Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas in Austin, where he underwent surgery Thursday afternoon, the Alice Echo-News Journal reported.

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Eleven people from Chesapeake, Fort Worth oil field service company Eagle Pressure Control and Alice oil field service company C.C. Forbes were working at the well at the time of the incident, a report from the Railroad Commission of Texas shows.

Investigators believe that an unexpected amount of natural gas entered the well and ignited. What caused the ignition remains under investigation.

Officials from Chesapeake and C.C. Forbes could not immediately be reached for comment but said in previous statements that they are cooperating with regulators and investigators.

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