Boone County assistant fire chief dies during water rescue near Range Line Street
COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ)
A Boone County firefighter died Monday morning during a water rescue in north Columbia.
Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Fire Chief Matt Tobben died while trying to save two people, Columbia Fire Department spokeswoman Katherine Rodriguez said.
The boat he was on capsized and lost power at Bear Creek on Range Line Street, according to CFD. Gale Blomenkamp, of the Boone County Fire Protection District, said during a Monday press conference that the boat capsized under the bridge on Range Line Street.
A Facebook post from Boone County Fire Protection District said Tobben was assisting the Columbia Fire Department with a swift water rescue when the boat flipped.
"The Columbia Firefighter and two victims originally rescued were able to be rescued."Assistant Chief Matt Tobben was assisting the Columbia Fire Department during a swift water rescue operation at Rangeline Street and Bear Creek early this morning," the Boone County Fire Protection District wrote on its Facebook page. "The firefighters had rescued two individuals when the zodiac boat overturned and Chief Tobben was thrown from the boat and drowned. The Columbia Firefighter and the two victims originally rescued were able to be rescued and are doing ok."
The Columbia Fire Department wrote on its Facebook page that it was called to multiple water rescues at 3:45 a.m. and that a boat lost power and capsized. Tobben was thrown from the boat, the post says.
"The Columbia Fire Department will forever be grateful for Assistant Chief Tobben’s bravery and dedication to the community. We ask that you please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers during this extremely difficult time," the post reads.
Blomenkamp said the call for this came in at 4:30 a.m. This is the second line-of-duty death for the Boone County Fire Protection District since 2021, Blomenkamp said.
Several water rescues have occurred over the past week, including one in Boone County on Wednesday on Gillespie Bridge Road, where a woman died after a vehicle was swept away in floodwater. Iveta Thayer, 81, of Columbia, was found dead on Friday morning.
Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp said at a Monday press conference that Tobben rescued the driver of the car that was swept away on Gillespie Bridge Road on Wednesday.
The cause of the incident is under investigation and the Missouri State Highway Patrol Water Patrol, Blomenkamp said.
"Chief Tobben has been a member of Missouri Task Force 1 since 2012 and has been deployed to disasters all over this country and the state of Missouri. He’s a 19-year veteran of the Union Fire Department in Union, Missouri, and just recently got hired here to be our training chief. He started on May 1," Blomenkamp said.
Tobben's life jacket and helmet were found floating downstream, Blomenkamp said. It's not known if Tobben took off the life jacket and helmet after he fell into the water, but Blomenkamp said "not uncommon for rescue swimmers to shed their life jackets, if they need to." However, Blomenkamp reiterated it may never be known if it was intentionally taken off.
Tobben never resurfaced after he was thrown out of the boat, but he tried to grab a tow line that was thrown to him, Blomenkamp said.
Rain has consistently fallen in Mid-Missouri since Wednesday, with another round expected on Tuesday.
Check back for updates to this developing story.
