A man was in critical condition Tuesday after being trapped under a pile of smoldering hot mulch at the Clarkstown town landfill in West Nyack.

A man was driving his truck and pulled up to get a load of mulch at the recycling center at the landfill. Police say the driver went into the back of his truck, but the operator of the loader didn't know and he started dumping mulch inside. Police say the man became trapped with hot mulch on top of him.

Workers freed the driver from the pile after a few minutes. Police say the driver suffered third-degree burns over half his body. Workers estimate the mulch dumped into the back of the truck weighed about 1,000 pounds.