Prank leads to pet's death

Posted: 11 Jul 2008 11:38 AM CDT
EUREKA -- Unknown suspects threw burning fireworks into a car on parked on Trinity Street late Friday night killing the dog who was waiting inside for its owners. Humboldt Fire District Capt. Dan Salinger said the call came in at around 11 p.m. Friday as a vehicle fire, but it wasn't until crews were on-scene that it was determined that the dog, owned by John Pilcher and Natalie Williams, had been involved. "They had just put the dog in the car," Salinger said, and returned to the house to say their farewells. The rear windows had been rolled down about 2 inches to accommodate their pet. In the meantime, a passing motorist spotted smoke coming out of the vehicle, pulled over, grabbed a garden house from the nearest house, Salinger said, and extinguished the blaze that burned all the way to the seat's springs and up the side. In the middle of the mess, was a blossom-style fireworks also known as a "flower" which spins on the ground. At about this time, the owners rushed out, opened the car and pulled out their dog who was unconscious, he said. The firefighters arrived and tried to revive the medium-sized white-and-tan canine for 6 to 7 minutes using a special mask designed for small animals. The passerbys who extinguished the fire, Salinger said, had reported seeing a group of young people in the vicinity of the vehicle and, after extinguishing the blaze, attempted to but were unable to locate them. Both the California Highway Patrol and the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department responded to the incident. Salinger said because the incident involved a parked vehicle, the Sheriff's Department is taking the lead on the case. Anyone with information about the incident may call the Sheriff's Department at 445-7251.

• Location: Eureka
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