BRANDON, Minn. — Editor's note: The above video is from December 2019
In 2019, Steve Boesl died attempting to save two family members from a silo. Now, he's being honored for his heroism.
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission recognizes civilians who risked their lives for others. This year, Boesl will receive a posthumous Carnegie Medal for his actions on Dec. 21, 2019 in Brandon, Minnesota.
"Despite knowing the dangers of silos and the propensity for the buildup of suffocating gases inside them, Steven T. Boesl, a 49-year-old farmer of Brandon, Minnesota, immediately entered the top of a silo where his 47-year-old brother, Curtis F. Boesl, and 11-year-old nephew, Alex P. Boesl, had collapsed moments earlier," the award announcement reads.
Steve Boesl died at the scene. His brother passed away later at the hospital, and Curt Boesl's 12-year-old son Alex died six days after the accident.
The deadly potential of the gas that can build up in a silo is well known in the farming community. Curt Boesl and his son, Alex, were inside a silo holding high-moisture corn that day when they passed out. When another of Curt Boesl's sons called 911, he also called his uncle, Steve. Steve then went into the silo to try to get his brother and nephew out - but he was overcome by the fumes.
Steve Boesl was a former member of the Millerville Volunteer Fire Department.
Another Minnesota man is being honored with a 2021 Carnegie Medal as well: David J. Brown, 41, who helped saved two men from drowning in the Gull River in 2019.