Pinoy bride, 4 friends die in burning wedding limo
SAN FRANCISCO—A limousine taking nine women to a night on the town to celebrate the marriage of a newlywed bride erupted in flames, killing the bride and four members of her party who were trapped inside, authorities said on Sunday.
The other four escaped with burn and smoke inhalation injuries.
Relatives told the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News that one of the dead was Neriza Fojas, 31, a registered nurse from Fresno who recently wed and was planning to repeat her marriage vows in her native Philippines next month.
The other dead women were
in their 30s and 40s.
(In Manila, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez said the Philippine consulate in San Francisco had contacted US officials to get details on the incident. He said the consulate was seeking “information such as names and ethnicity” of the victims.
(“How painful, how painful what happened really,” Fojas’ tearful mother Sonya said in an interview on GMA 7 in Tarlac after hearing what happened to her daughter. The network said Fojas had already acquired US citizenship.)
‘Engulfed in flames’
The limousine driver, who was not hurt, told investigators he was driving the women on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge on Saturday night when one of them complained of smoke inside the passenger compartment, San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said.
The fire occurred around 10 p.m. about 30 kilometers southeast of San Francisco.
The driver said he pulled over, got out and saw the back of the 1999 Lincoln Town Car fully engulfed in flames, according to Foucrault.
By the time firefighters rushed to the scene and put out the fire, authorities found five badly burned bodies huddled near the partition that separates the driver from the passengers.
“My guess would be they were trying to get away from the fire and used that window opening as an escape route,” Foucrault said.
He said other motorists helped three women get out of the rear right door, and a fourth woman managed to squeeze through the partition.
The San Mateo Fire Department was investigating the cause of the fire, while the coroner’s office was working with the California Highway Patrol to determine whether a crime occurred.
“We don’t believe there is,” Foucrault said.
Aerial video
California Highway Patrol Officer James Evans said: “It wasn’t a traffic collision, we do know that, but we are still investigating.”
A photo taken by a witness and broadcast on KTVU-TV showed flames shooting from the back of the limo.
Aerial video shot after the incident showed about one-third of the back half of the limousine had been scorched by the fire. Its taillights and bumper were gone and it appeared to be resting on its rims, but the remainder of the vehicle didn’t appear to be damaged.
The driver—46-year-old Orville Brown—was the only person to escape unhurt.
Brown’s brother told the Chronicle the flames spread before he could help the women escape.
“He tried to get everybody out,” Lewis Brown Jr. said. “He told me, ‘Man, it was so fast.’ He said, ‘I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.’”
Witnesses told the police of a horrific scene of people inside the limousine unable to get out as the flames advanced, according to KGO-TV.
Foucrault told the San Jose Mercury News that the limousine picked up the women in Oakland and was taking them to a hotel in Foster City as part of a bachelorette party.
Four in hospital
Autopsies of the five women were being conducted, and medical examiners will try to identify them by using dental records, Foucrault said.
The four other women who escaped the fire—Mary G. Guardiano, 42, Jasmine Desguia, 34, Nelia Arrellano, 36, and Amalia Loyola, 48—were being treated at nearby hospitals, the highway patrol said.
Desguia and Loyola were listed in critical condition, said Joy Alexiou, a spokesperson for Valley Medical Center. The condition of Arrellano, who was taken to another hospital, was not known.
Limo Stop
The company that operated the limo was identified as Limo Stop, which offers service through limousines, vans and SUVs.
A telephone message left at the company seeking comment by The Associated Press wasn’t immediately returned. Attempts to reach the driver were also unsuccessful.
Authorities said it could take days to determine the cause of the fire.
“This is not something that gets rushed through,” said CHP Officer James Evans.