Man dies trying to save dog in Lahaina fire
Frank Trejos died trying to save his dog from the Lahaina
By By Kristen Consillio
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Lahaina, Maui (KITV) — A dog is a man’s best friend.
And for Frank Trejos, he lived that to the end.
“He and Sam were two peas in a pod,” said Lahaina resident Shannon Weber-Bogar, who’s had dog, Sam, for the past three years. “Sam would just go absolutely nuts every time Frank would show up.”
Frank was staying at the home of his best friend Shannon and her husband Geoff when fire like a blow torch came rolling toward their Lahaina home.
After warning neighbors to escape, Frank went to get the couple’s golden retriever.
“The last he saw of Frank and my dog Sam was when they were coming down the steps,” she said.
All of a sudden: “The cars wouldn’t start because there was no oxygen and the smoke was so thick no one could see anything.”
Geoff was able to crawl to safety, but when he went back to check on Frank and Sam: “Frank and Sam were in his Mazda and Frank had crawled out of the driver’s seat and into the back seat to lay on the top of my dog and they burned to death in the car,” she said. “I have nightmares of how scared they must have been at the end. He knew they were going to die. I just hope it was fast.”
Maui County has so far confirmed more than 100 fatalities caused by the Lahaina fires.
And for Shannon, she doesn’t know how she’ll go on without her best friend Frank and his best friend, Sam.
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