An employee of the famous tuna supplier Bumble Bee Foods was reportedly cooked to death last Thursday morning (Oct 11) at a seafood plant in Southern California. The man has been identified as 62-year-old Jose Melena, who has been an employee of the company for over 6 years.

According to California Division of Occupational Safety and Health spokeswoman Erika Monterroza, the man became trapped inside an industrial pressure cooker described in coroner’s documents as a “steamer machine,” and was “fatally injured” after being cooked inside the oven.

Emergency personnel were summoned to the factory and upon arrival Melena was pronounced dead, according to KABC-TV in Los Angeles. Melena’s job was to push baskets of sealed cans into the pressure cooker, but it’s still unclear how the man ended up inside the “steamer machine”. Monterroza says Cal/OSHA has launched an investigation into the freak accident.

“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,” the tuna company said in a statement. “It remains our first priority to support and assist the Melena family during this very difficult time.”

According to Cal/OSHA statistics, more than 300 people died in fatal occupational injuries in 2010. His daughter Sara Melena told KABC, “He left happy. I’m grateful with God that even though it’s tough for us, but I know that he is with him.” The family has yet to receive an official explanation of what exactly happened, but Sara says she cherishes the fond memories of her father.