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Pa. University Groundskeeper Dies When Lawnmower Catches Fire

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A riding lawnmower being used by a longtime groundskeeper at a Pennsylvania university has caught fire, killing the groundskeeper.

Millersville University President John Anderson says in an email to faculty and students the worker died Wednesday. He says 60-year-old Michael Keefer was riding on the lawnmower near the university's stadium when the fire broke out.

Keefer was taken to a hospital and died that night.

The Lehigh County coroner's office on Thursday said cause of Keefer's death was thermal injuries and the death was an accident.

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A university spokeswoman tells LNP it's unclear what caused the fire.

The university and the state fire marshal are investigating.

Keefer had worked at the university since 1990.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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