Navy Veteran's truck damaged by fireworks

A Muscatine family is left without a truck they've relied on for three years because of fireworks. The truck was destroyed by a fire on Sunday.

The family says this truck meant everything to them and it was their form of transportation. They say right now they are struggling financially and this was the last thing they needed.

“We heard a loud pop and some glass break,” said Michael Morton, son in law of Dennis Huff.

That was the noise that made Michael Morton come outside at 11:30 at night on Sunday. Only to find his father in law's truck in flames.

“It was pretty much done for at that time. There wasn't anything we can do to stop it,” said Morton.

It was the hardest scene for Navy Veteran Dennis Huff, who owns the truck.

“(The firework) Hit the window and exploded in my passenger seat,” said Huff.

The pickup truck that the family had for three years wasn't just a truck. It was a source of transportation for doctor appointments and work.

“It's not real easy to get through. I haven't cried a lot, since my wife died,” said Huff.

“It's the only vehicle we got to take my kid to the doctor’s appointment and to get me and my dad back and forth from work. It’s been pretty hard on us so far, we're getting through it,” said Michael Morton.

“There's no way to fix it. You would have to tear the whole truck apart and then put it back together again,” said Nakita Morton.

The family says they are devastated and now have to pick up the left over pieces of a truck they've had for three years.

“I just hope whoever shot it off, kind of realizes the severity of it,” said Michael Morton.

“The truck meant everything to my dad. He’s got stage three colon cancer, he's a U.S. Veteran barely making it by and just to have that added on, it’s devastating really,” said Nakita Morton.

The fire department says they tried to save the truck, but it was a complete loss.

“We actually found firework inside the vehicle. All those things meant there wasn't anything else that led us to believe it was anything beyond firework,” said Mike Hartman, Assistant Fire Chief of Muscatine Fire Department.

The family hopes others can use this as an example to be more careful.

“Even though you think it's all fun and good. What could the consequences be of what you're doing,” said Nakita Morton.

The good news is a community member reached out to the family and has donated a car to Dennis Huff. The windows need to get fixed but the mechanic has also agreed to fix that for free.The family also has a GoFundMe page to help with other expenses. Go here:

Firefighters want to remind you that in Muscatine, it is only legal to set off fireworks in the city and tomorrow. If you use them, be considerate, and use common sense. Since June, Muscatine police have responded to more than 100 fireworks complaints and made seven arrests.