CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY, Mo. – A southern Missouri fire chief died Wednesday while responding to a search and rescue mission amid severe storms.
Gary Moore, Fire Chief of the Whitewater Fire Protection District, died Wednesday while responding to a stranded car, according to a statement from Cape Girardeau County Coroner Craig Williams.
Moore was in the line of duty and assisting near the Missouri communities of Advance and Delta.
An autopsy is scheduled for Friday. Moore’s cause of death has not yet been determined, Williams tells FOX 2.
In a statement shared Thursday on Facebook, the Perryville Fire Department expressed condolences: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Whitewater Fire Protection District as well as the family and friends of Fire Chief Garry Moore, as he made the ultimate sacrifice while serving during storms last night. May God grant them peace and healing in this difficult time.”
Severe weather Wednesday triggered multiple tornado warnings across Missouri, including significant storms near Potosi, Nevada, and Cape Girardeau.