Loved Ones, Fellow Kansas Firefighters Mourn Dead Lieutenant

For 26 days, his loved ones and fellow Kansas firefighters prayed he’d survive third-degree burns covering 27% of his body.

But Baxter Springs Fire Lt. Malachi Brown died Wednesday, Nov. 10, at Missouri’s Mercy Burn Center – Springfield. He’d been in a medically induced coma since he was injured during an Oct. 15 blaze in Baxter Springs, a town of roughly 4,000 people in the far southeastern corner of the Sunflower State.

Brown was 32 and leaves behind his wife, Jessica, and three children.

“He was a very dedicated firefighter,” Baxter Springs Fire Deputy Chief Art Mallory told Coffee or Die Magazine.

fellow Kansas firefighters — Baxter Springs Fire Lt. Malachi Brown died Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, at Missouri’s Mercy Burn Center – Springfield. The Kansas firefighter was 32 and leaves behind his wife, Jessica, and three children. Photo courtesy of the Miami County (Kansas) Sheriff’s Office.

At 10:49 p.m., Oct. 15, Mallory’s department received an emergency dispatch call for a structure fire at Lyons Road and West 14th Street in Baxter. The first truck that arrived carried four firefighters, including Brown.

Investigators continue to probe the incident, but Mallory said Brown was the only casualty that night. He was rushed by a medical ambulance to a Joplin hospital and then airlifted to the Springfield burn unit.

“And that’s where he was from the night of Oct. 15 until he passed away on Nov. 10,” Mallory said.

A native of Quapaw, Oklahoma, Brown served 10 years in the Baxter Springs Fire Department. Mallory said that Brown had completed Firefighter I and II courses online so that he’d develop a broader and deeper understanding of how to battle a blaze, and he kept completing new training.

The Baxter Springs Fire Department primarily relies on a volunteer force, although there’s a career firefighter on staff and as many as 20 paid-per-call firefighters and 12 volunteers on the roster.

When Brown wasn’t fighting fires, he worked for Robison Construction in Girard, Kansas.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to our Brothers and Sisters of the Baxter Springs Kansas Fire Department and the family of Lt. Malachi Brown. We will not forget. #LODD #firefighters #brotherhood pic.twitter.com/4KRRHkrNiB

— Joplin Firefighters (@IAFFLocal59) November 12, 2021

Funeral arrangements are pending.

“Today we mourn the passing of Lt. Malachi Brown who gave his life, serving others,” reads a prepared statement posted to the Baxter Springs Police Department’s official social media sites Thursday. “It is something Firefighters and Police Officers live with daily. Knowing that your next call could mean never seeing your family again.

“Lt. Brown gave his life while searching a burning home, making sure no one was left behind. The community has been so supportive and I pray we all continue to support Jessica and the kids. Jessica has been so very brave and deserves our help now. It was an honor to take part in escorting Malachi home today, to the community he served so well.”

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Noelle Wiehe

Staff writer

Noelle is an award-winning journalist from Cincinnati, Ohio, who came to Coffee or Die Magazine following a fellowship from Military Veterans in Journalism. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has strived to be a military journalist ever since her internships with the US Army Cadet Command in college. She worked as a civilian journalist covering several units, including the 75th Ranger Regiment on Fort Benning, before she joined the military herself and served as a public affairs specialist attached to the 3rd Infantry Division. She deployed once to fill a role as a media analyst for the Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve in Kuwait. She has a passion for sharing stories of heroes and people who are far more interesting than they think they are. She follows where the job takes her, but currently resides on the East Coast in Georgia.