United States Fire Administration
7 August 2025
The United States Fire Administration has announced the death of Chief Michael Phillips, 66, of the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department on 5 July 2025.
Chief Michael Phillips went missing while responding to a call for service on July 5, 2025, during severe storms and flooding that impacted central Texas. The emergency vehicle Chief Phillips was driving was swept off the roadway by floodwaters. The vehicle was later discovered, but Chief Phillips was not located with it. After days of searching, the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department announced the end of watch for Chief Phillips on July 15, 2025.
Age: 66
Rank: Chief
Classification: Career
Incident date: July 5, 2025 4:00 AM
Date of death: July 5, 2025
Cause of fatal injury: Unknown
Nature of fatal injury: Unknown
Activity type: Driving/Operating Vehicle/Apparatus
Emergency duty: Yes
Duty type: Responding
Fixed property use: Outdoor Property
The number of on-duty deaths for 2025 is currently 51.
Go here to read the number of interior line of duty deaths for 2025.
Fatality status is provisional and may change as USFA contacts State Fire Marshals to verify fatality incident information.
For more information about on-duty deaths as recorded by the United States Fire Administration go to “Firefighter Fatalities in the United States.”
Photo courtesy of Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department/Facebook.
Data Not Drama 