WHITE COUNTY — An explosion at a rural White County oilfield lease Tuesday afternoon resulted in three workers being injured – one critically.

White County Sheriff Doug Maier said the accident happened around 1 p.m. on an oil lease east of Crossville.

Maier says Precision Oil was working on a well owned by Citation Oil Company when the well head broke loose, and a spark ignited the well, causing an explosion.

One of the workers, 33-year-old Steve Smith, of Crossville, received burns over much of his body in the blast. He was airlifted from the scene to the burn unit of a hospital in Louisville, Ky.

The other two workers, not immediately identified, received minor injuries and did not require hospitalization. Authorities said a large fire erupted after the explosion. The Crossville Fire Department was able to extinguish the blaze.