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Matthew Dale Blankenship

Lieutenant

Lieutenant Blankenship and other firefighters were working on the scene of a working residential structure fire. Lieutenant Blankenship and another Lieutenant were in the basement of the structure attempting to locate the fire.

No fire was located in the basement so the Lieutenants were ordered by the IC to back out of the structure. Moments later, the Lieutenants radioed that they had located the fire in the basement and were making an attack on the fire. Within minutes, fire conditions in the structure changed rapidly and an evacuation of the building was ordered.

The Lieutenant that was working with Lieutenant Blankenship was helped from the building but Lieutenant Blankenship was not accounted for. Firefighters knocked down the fire from the exterior and Lieutenant Blankenship could be heard and was seen crawling toward the exit. Firefighters pulled him from the building and began medical treatment. Lieutenant Blankenship received severe burns while inside of the structure. He was transported to a regional burn facility where he died as a result of his injuries on July 20, 2013.

Incident Location: 577 Hospitality Road, Niangua, MO (USNG: 15S WB 2087 3373)

photo of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
Matthew Dale Blankenship was honored on the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland and was included in the USFA’s annual report Firefighter Fatalities in the United States.

Department information

Marshfield Fire Protection District
PO Box 126, 798 S Marshall ST
USNG: 15S WB 0824 3150
Marshfield, Missouri 65706

Chief: Michael Taylor

Age: 38
Rank: Lieutenant
Classification: Volunteer
Incident date: July 13, 2013 17:24
Date of death: July 20, 2013
Cause of fatal injury: Caught or Trapped
Nature of fatal injury: Burns
Activity type: Advance Hose Lines/Fire Attack (includes Wildland)
Emergency duty: Yes
Duty type: On-Scene Fire
Fixed property use: Residential

Last updated: November 05, 2014