Two teenage boys have died in California after they were electrocuted as they tried to rescue a dog from a canal, according to officials.
At around 12:15 p.m. Monday, the Dixon Fire Department was alerted to an incident at a canal outside of the city limits of Dixon, northern Solano County near Sacramento, officials told Patch.com.
The California Highway Patrol said in a statement that first responders discovered the boys in a field near the body of water. However, it is unclear whether they were rescued from the water, or by whom.
A Solano County Sheriff official told Fox News 40 that the pair were trying to save a dog who had entered the water. One of the boys is thought to have touched a gate connected to an electrical source. The current is believed to have entered the water, fatally electrocuting the teenagers. First responders tended to the boys at the scene.
The boys were taken to the Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center: one by California Highway Patrol Helicopter, and the other in an ambulance, local newspaper The Vacaville Reporter stated, citing Solano County Sheriff. The dog was transported to Solano County Animal Control for treatment.
Both of the victims were pronounced dead at the medical center, according to the California Highway Patrol. Dixon Police Department told Patch.com that both boys were under the age of 18.
The dog is believed to have survived, Solano County Sheriff's Office told Fox News 40.
Officials did not release further details on the victims, including their identities, ages, or where they were from as the investigation is ongoing, a Dixon Police Department dispatcher told Patch.com. The Solano County Sheriff's Office has launched an investigation into the deaths.
"Unfortunately, the outcome was one that no first responder or parent wants to have," the California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division Air Operations wrote on Facebook. "After attempting all lifesaving measures available to us in the prehospital setting, both teenagers were pronounced deceased at Kaiser Vacaville."
The boys were both students at Dixon High School. Principal Stephanie Marquez posted on the school's Facebook page regarding the incident.
"It is with a heavy heart that I write this post," she wrote. "Today, two of our students passed away after a tragic accident. While we are not at liberty to discuss details or specifics, we are absolutely here to support all of our students."
Mental health clinicians were scheduled to visit the school on Tuesday to help children affected by the deaths, she said.
"Of course, students and parents are also welcome to reach out to any DHS administrator by email or phone any time, for any reason," wrote Marquez.
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