Friends of a Hawaii man who was killed during last week’s wildfire -- one of 106 people to lose their lives -- died while saving a dog.
Shannon Weber-Bogar shared the news of her friend Franklin Trejos with NBC News on Tuesday, noting that Trejos was someone who cared for everyone.
“I would get so irritated with him because we’d go to the store, and he’d have to stop and say hi to everyone and ask how they’re doing and their families,” Weber-Bogar said. “Just the friendliest guy you would ever meet.”
Weber-Boger and her husband, Geoff Bogar, lived with Trejos in their Lahaina home. With the three friends was a fourth, who was a little hairier than the rest; the couple’s 3-year-old golden retriever, Sam, who they say Trejos loved and considered his own.
As the fires raged near the neighborhood the three lived in, Trejos and Bogar helped evacuate as many people as they could before trying to stay back to save their house, Weber-Bogar shared with NBC News.
However, as the blaze began making its way toward them, the two men fled to their cars, and Trejos grabbed the pooch.
Weber-Bogar shared that her husband’s car wouldn’t start, and he was forced to break his window, crawl out, and make his way to safety, resulting in him suffering numerous burns and needing medical attention.
Not seeing what happened to his friend or his pup, Bogar returned to the neighborhood the next day. It was there his wife says he found Trejos inside his car, with his body draped over Sam’s.
The fire had killed them both.
“He must have seen what was happening, just crawled into the hatchback with him and laid down on top of him,” Weber-Bogar told the media outlet. “There’s more of Sam left than there was of Frank.”
The couple’s home has been completely destroyed, and Weber-Bogar shared she has no idea where they will live now, but no matter where they end up, she says it won’t be the same without Trejos.
“It’s weird to wake up without him,” she said. “There’s no way to say what a great guy he is.”
The work to rebuild and identify those who perished in the fires remains ongoing. Maui Police Chief John Pelletier shared during a press conference that the work will be difficult, but they are doing what they can as quickly as possible.
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