Tributes, grief after boating accident claims three lives, including two Wabasha firefighters

Authorities have identified the three boaters killed when the pontoon they were on reportedly collided with a barge on Saturday, July 11.

They are: Ashley Monson, 37, of Wabasha; Manuel De Angel-Sola, 52, of Wabasha; and Nicholas Loechler, 46 of Wabasha.

De Angel-Sola and Loechler were members of the Wabasha Fire Department.

Calls for help

from the water

In a joint press release issued Tuesday, the Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office and Pepin County Sheriff’s Office said: “At approximately 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, 2026, the Pepin County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting people screaming for help from the waters of Lake Pepin.

“A short time later, responding emergency personnel located an overturned 27-foot pontoon boat just offshore from the YMCA Camp on Deer Island in Pepin County, Wisconsin.”

Lake City Fire Chief Dan Patterson described the situation in a post on the fire department Facebook Page.

“The Lake City Fire Boat was the first vessel on the scene and discovered a capsized pontoon with three passengers on top,” he wrote. “After the occupants were brought aboard, the patients were assessed by a firefighter/paramedic. The passengers reported that three additional people were unaccounted for. A brief search was conducted for the other passengers before the decision was made to transport the three patients to a higher level of medical care. Crews were met in Pepin by Pepin EMS and the Pepin Fire Department.”

Searching for

missing boaters

“Additional searches of the area were conducted throughout the night by Lake City Fire, Pepin Fire, Red Wing Fire, Goodhue Fire, the Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office, the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office, Wabasha Fire, and multiple civilian watercraft using sonar. By daybreak, even more agencies had arrived on the scene,” Patterson wrote. “A unified command post was established at the Lake City Marina by the Lake City Emergency Operations Center. A separate Wisconsin command post was also established, as the Wisconsin DNR was responsible for investigating the crash.

“The Minnesota command post was staffed by Lake City Fire, the Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office, and Olmsted County deputies and remained in constant communication with Wisconsin command. Throughout the day, extensive searches of the lake were conducted. The searches were closely coordinated through unified command using shared technology.

“That evening, after many points of interest had been explored, the final three passengers were located by sonar and their locations were confirmed using advanced underwater technology. The three passengers were brought to shore by county and state agencies.

“This was an incredibly intensive search, and nearly every fire department and county and state agency imaginable responded to the scene.”

“All three individuals were pronounced deceased by the Pepin County Coroner,” according to the sheriff’s offices. “They have been transported to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office in St. Paul, Minn., where autopsies will be conducted.”

Crash under

investigation

Boating-related deaths on Lake Pepin are rare. Incidents involving multiple deaths are rarer still.

“The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is the lead agency investigating the circumstances surrounding the boating crash,” the sheriff’s offices said. “The Pepin County Sheriff’s Office and Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office continue to assist with the investigation.”

Grief and gratitude

“The Pepin County Sheriff’s Office and Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office extend their sincere condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those who lost their lives,” the news release said. “They also thank the many law enforcement, fire, EMS, and emergency response personnel from Wisconsin and Minnesota whose coordinated efforts supported this operation.”

In his post, Patterson said it “was an emotionally taxing 18 hours because the passengers were known within the public safety community. They are our family.

“Our hearts are once again heavy with tragic loss. We could not be prouder to have been able to respond to our brothers and sister in need. We will mourn with you. We will grieve with you. We will even feed you. We see you, (Wabasha Fire Department), and we are here.

“In total, 22 agencies launched from the Lake City Marina alone. Many other agencies responded from across the region, including drone teams, helicopter crews, dive teams, and search teams. There are too many people to thank, and I would surely forget some. Many agencies were there that I did not even know had responded.

“The search was a large-scale operation, and this is only our story. Many selfless people showed up to help.”

In a statement on his Facebook Page, Lake City Mayor Brian Quinn said: “Our hearts are with our neighbors in Wabasha as they mourn the tragic loss of two members of their fire service family, along with the heartbreaking loss of another life on Lake Pepin this weekend. On behalf of the City of Lake City, we extend our deepest condolences to the families, loved ones, fellow firefighters, first responders, and everyone affected by this unimaginable tragedy.”