Maui wildfire victim died while trying to shield friend’s golden retriever

‘God took a really good man.’

Franklin Trejos was identified among the victims of the Maui wildfires (Shannon Weber-Bogar)

As wildfires ravaged the Maui community of Lahaina, one of the victims died protecting his friend’s golden retriever.

In what officials have dubbed the deadliest US blaze in a century, 68-year-old Franklin Trejos had attempted to shield Sam, the golden retriever, from the deadly flames. The dog belonged to retired fire captain Geoff Bogar and his wife Shannon Weber-Bogar, Trejos’ friends of nearly 35 years.

Mr Bogar told the Associated Press that he and Trejos had decided to stay behind in an effort to save Mr Bogar’s house as the fires grew on 7 August. Although Mr Bogar says that they both eventually decided to flee the following afternoon, only the retired captain made it back.

Authorities discovered Trejos’ bones in the backseat of his car lying on top of the remains of Mr Bogar’s three-year-old golden retriever. He reportedly died trying to protect the young dog.

A Costa Rican native, Trejos had made Hawaii his home for over three decades and lived with Mr Bogar and his wife Shannon Weber-Bogar for years. The couple said that Trejos would oftentimes be there to help Ms Weber-Bogar with her seizures if her husband wasn’t present.

On her longtime friend’s untimely death, Ms Weber-Bogar said, “God took a really good man.”

Trejos’ family was devastated by his loss, including his niece Kika Pérez Grant who explained to ABC News that Trejos, who she affectionately called Uncle Frankie, was “a huge animal lover” and more often than not, put the needs of others over his own. She remarked to the news outlet: “And so even in his very last moments, he thought to protect".

"He was just a loving man,” Ms Pérez Grant continued. “He was a free spirit, he was an adventurer, a nature lover, an animal lover, an artist. He was just a great person to be around. Energetic, he had so much gusto."

Franklin Trejos was identified among the victims of the Maui wildfires (Shannon Weber-Bogar)

Ms Pérez Grant also noted that Trejos was a beloved member of their family, and shared a very close relationship with his older sister, Ms Pérez Grant’s mother who has been struggling with stage 4 breast cancer. According to his niece, he doted on her and "checked in on her quite often."

His sister “never imagined losing her brother”, having been under the impression that she would be the first to pass amid her battle with cancer.

As crews have been sifting through the ruins of the West Maui community, the death toll from the devastating Lahaina fires has climbed to 99, according to CNN, marking it as one of the deadliest US wildfires to occur in more than 100 years. Although the area had one of the largest siren systems in the world, throughout the disaster, the siren remained silent.

“Nobody at the state and nobody at the county attempted to activate those sirens based on our records,” Adam Weintraub of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency told the press.

Emergency communications were sent out via mobile phones and broadcasters, but unfortunately, most power and cell service was already gone, leading to many being left in the dark. Those who decided to stay behind and protect their properties like Mr Bogar and Trejos underestimated how dangerous the fires would ultimately end up becoming.

"This has been a tragic and heartbreaking loss for our family," Ms Pérez Grant said. "To know that he must have been so scared or to imagine him suffering, there are no words."

Trejos would have celebrated his 69th birthday in September.