Hello everyone. I have a question and am hoping someone here who is knowledgeable about the subject would care to give me some input.

I am researching information on a cold case that happened in 1945.

In December 1945, there was a case in WV in which a families home burned, possibly killing five of their children. The children's bones were never found in the remnants of the fire (but that's a different aspect of the case.)

A few days later, the youngest child, which had made it out of the home safely, found an object in the yard. The family described this object as "oblong, greyish-green, and made of hard rubber." It also "was hollow with a twist off cap and slightly burned on the end." Supposedly, a soldier in the area told the family it was a napalm bomb, some sort of incendiary device, and referred to the object as a pineapple. Many people I have spoken to, including my husband, say these types of devices were not made of rubber, but of metal.

Also, a late night bus driver later described what looked like "balls of fire" being thrown at the roof.

Is there any type of device you can possibly think of that would fit this description, and be able to cause a house fire with out destroying the device?

I greatly appreciate any information you can give me and thank you all in advance for all of your time.

Sounds more like some home-made Roman candle.

Sounds like Molotov Cocktails to me.

I do not know of any napalm grenades used during WWII. The U.S. never developed one until the Vietnam War and it only saw limited and specialized use.

"Pineapple" grenades as far as I know have always been a fragmentation grenade. (i.e. MK2, US and Mills Bomb, UK)

Burning type grenades in use during WWII were Thermite and White Phosphorous and yes they are a metal "can" type canister.

I think what you described was most likely a homemade molotov cocktail type device and would certainly explain the "balls of fire being thrown at the roof" as Molotovs require a burning fuze usually of cloth.

The container that was found may have simply been a container for some accellerant that the firestarters carried with them as the hard rubber wouldn't shatter on the roof as a glass bottle likely would.

Thats just my .02