PENSACOLA, Fla. — The body of a missing Alabama firefighter has been found.
The Pensacola News Journal reported a boater found the body of Ryan Michael Vahle, 39, Saturday morning and notified police.
Vahle was a firefighter with the Mobile Fire Department and lived on a boat docked at a harbor on Pensacola Bay. He was last seen leaving a local restaurant on Feb. 20.
Emergency personnel had been searching Pensacola Bay for signs of Vahle throughout the week.
“Ryan was a good friend and a great worker in the fire department. I had the pleasure of working with him in Baghdad, Iraq. He will be missed, thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. RIP brother,” said fellow firefighter Scott Duchame on Facebook.
Police said an autopsy will be conducted, but they do not suspect foul play.
Before working as a firefighter, Vahle was a firefighter in Pelham, Lincoln and Birmingham, according to WKRG.com. He also served overseas in Iraq. His father was a 23-year fire service veteran.