TOWN OF BELMONT — A 59-year-old Cuba City man died in a skid steer accident and fire June 5

Paul W. Cullen was pronounced dead at the scene, the 29000 block of Lafayette County XX, by Lafayette County Coroner Virginia Douglas. According to the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department, Cullen had recently purchased the property.

According to a Sheriff’s Department news release, the operator of the skid steer loader had dug a hole to place rubbish into it to be burned. While the materials were burning, the skid steer loader went too far over the edge and began to slide into the fire, according to the sheriff’s department.

Cullen stepped out of the skid steer loader, but became pinned under one of the machine’s wheels, according to the sheriff’s department. The fire fully engulfed the skid steer loader, and Cullen died due to the fire, according to the sheriff’s department.

The Platteville Fire Department and Platteville EMS responded to the scene.