Missouri firefighter dies Monday during swift water rescue

An assistant fire chief from Boone County, Missouri, died Monday morning during a swift water rescue operation.

Boone County Fire Protection District Fire Chief Scott Olsen said Assistant Chief Matt Tobben was working a water rescue with the Columbia Fire Department when the boat he was in overturned.

Tobben, who was born in 1981, was thrown from the boat and drowned.

Before the boat overturned, Tobben and two firefighters had rescued two people who needed help near Angeline Street and Bear Creek. Those two people continue to recover after getting to safety.

“Please keep [Tobben]’s family in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time,” Olsen said in a social media post.

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