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Patrol: 5 women die in limo fire on Calif. bridge

SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) — A limousine traveling on a major bridge in the San Francisco area burst into flames, killing five female passengers who were trapped inside and injuring four others who escaped, authorities said Sunday.

The limo was carrying nine female passengers and a male driver when it caught fire late Saturday on the San Mateo bridge, California Highway Patrol officer Art Montiel told The Associated Press.

Five occupants became trapped, while four others suffered injuries but managed to get out after the vehicle came to a stop on the bridge, the patrol said. The driver escaped uninjured.

Montiel said that the victims were all in their 30s. Authorities said the names of the dead would be released once families have been notified.

The blaze occurred around 10 p.m. on westbound lanes of the bridge, which connects San Mateo and Alameda counties, about 20 miles southeast of San Francisco.

The patrol said that smoke started coming out of the rear of the limo, and the driver pulled over as the vehicle quickly became engulfed in flames. Officers were trying to determine the cause of the blaze, which wasn't the result of an accident.

"We have no idea right now where they were going or where they were coming from," CHP officer Amelia Jack told KGO-TV.

Two of the women who escaped were taken to Stanford Hospital and the two others were taken to Valley Medical Center in San Jose. All four are being treated for smoke inhalation and burns.

The westbound lanes of the bridge were closed as officers investigated the cause of the deadly fire, but the patrol said one lane of traffic reopened early Sunday.

What could have caused the fire?

Click on source if you want to see a picture.

I saw this on the news this morning....

It looks to me from these additional photos, that something ignited the gas tank, but what that could have been is the question:

WTH?

I caught an update a little while ago...

CHP is speculating that the fire started either in the backseat or the trunk, but they're not going to know until they get further along in the forensic investigation, or they get more info from the survivors...

It was really horrific; the girls who died have been burned so badly that the medical people are saying it could be several days before the individual remains are identified....

Had it not been for the quick work of some good Samaritans who stopped and helped pull the other four out there very well might not have been any survivors.

Please forgive my topic drift - I mean no disrespect.

Joe Guy, Lord Jim

This is before your time. The San Mateo/Hayward Bridge used to be one lane in each direction and was a drawbridge. When a ship needed to pass through, the bridge would open up and let the vessel pass. That was in the 1950's when we had a fraction of the population and California was a helluva lot better place!

At a guess, it was electrical. Most limos have various electrical items in the trunk...only takes one shorted wire, and I have seen plenty of cringe-worthy wiring on them.

Also, having driven limos, I would bet that one was overloaded! That does NOT look like a 9-pax limo! (At a guess: six or seven plus driver.)

At a guess, it was electrical. Most limos have various electrical items in the trunk...only takes one shorted wire, and I have seen plenty of cringe-worthy wiring on them

That sounds like a really good theory Jarl...

Years ago I also drove limos and then later was a partner in a limo business, and I became very familiar with some of the operators and vehicles, and a lot of them were very poorly maintained.

Forget maintaining them...I have seen scary stuff RIGHT FROM THE CONVERTERS! I recall one that had an amplifier for the stereo...wired directly to the power junction with no fuse! The junction was wired right to the battery, also no fuse! (Note: that was close to a 20' wire run!) Just one reason I hated limos with a passion!

Horrible way to go.

Especially if it was a bachelorette party and they went dressed head to toe in tiny penises

It has been reported that they were on their way to a bachelorette party and the bride died in the fire.

From the looks of the picture, the back of the limo seems to be very low. Maybe a bump scraped the gas tank puncturing it and a spark ignited the leaking gas.
There may have been faulty wiring but a fire like that needs some kind of combustable material. I doubt carpeting in the trunk would go up like that. I am guessing gasoline leak somewhere, somehow.

Oldr you're assuming standard equipment most standard automotive materials don't burn outside an external source. Limos are heavily modified and more to the point since they're low volume they are exempt from all kinds of Motor vehicle safety standards. Besides if it was fuel related it would have generated a trail. Especially with a leak at the bottom of the tank (not to mention modern fuel tanks even if they are in the rear are made from materials that don't spark).

For my money I agree with jarl aftermarket wiring possibly aggravated by non-FMVSS approved upholstery.

That's an awful lot of flames for a closed trunk regardless of what's burning inside.

Is don't doubt that it eventually got to gasoline but I doubt it started there

It appears that the only means of egress for passengers in the forward area of the passenger compartment was the doors in the back. Presumably there is a "wall" between the driver's compartment and the passenger area. With the fire at or near the back doors...

Jesus, what a way to go.

One might say that the design of the limo was defective, but adding doors mid-ship would cut down severely on the capacity of the vehicle, as well as its structural integrity (without 400 lbs of steel added).

Of course there will be lawsuits. Deep pockets must be found.

Of course there will be lawsuits. Deep pockets must be found.

Since I was reading today that the vehicle was over loaded by one passenger. I don't know how much liability ins the limo co owner carried. I hope it was more that that cheap sonofabitch fertilizer plant owner in Texass whose plant exploded killing numerous people.

Once again dgs claims expertise about something be knows nothing about

dgs49 wrote:It appears that the only means of egress for passengers in the forward area of the passenger compartment was the doors in the back. Presumably there is a "wall" between the driver's compartment and the passenger area. With the fire at or near the back doors...

Jesus, what a way to go.

One might say that the design of the limo was defective, but adding doors mid-ship would cut down severely on the capacity of the vehicle, as well as its structural integrity (without 400 lbs of steel added).

Of course there will be lawsuits. Deep pockets must be found.

Many limos have a front door and more than a few have a front sunroof doubling as an escape hatch. One I drove had a pop-out escape window. Lincoln Town Car limos (like that one) get most of their structural integrity from the full perimeter frame, not the body.

I heard one girl escaped crawling through teh partition into the front of the car and a few of the dead were found at that partition.
Terrible, just terrible.
My thoughts go to the families.