Patrol: 5 die in limousine fire on Calif. bridge

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http://www.centurylink.net/news/rea...ass&action=1&lang=en&_LT=UNLC_USNWU00L1_UNEWS

SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) — A limousine traveling on a major bridge in the San Francisco area burst into flames, killing five people and sending four others to hospitals, authorities said.

The five who died became trapped after the limo caught fire late Saturday night on the San Mateo bridge, California Highway Patrol officer Amelia Jack told KGO-TV.

Five others managed to escape after the vehicle came to a stop on the bridge, she said.

KGO reports ( bit.ly/17F63g8) that the victims were all women who are believed to be in their 30s.........

More at link......
 
How tragic - just awful. I wonder if it was a wedding party?
 
eegads. i assume it was a bachelorette or birthday party.
 
I just saw this on the news, how does this happen? I've never been in a limo, is there a reason they wouldn't get out? Doesn't make any sense....
 
I just saw this on the news, how does this happen? I've never been in a limo, is there a reason they wouldn't get out? Doesn't make any sense....

I'm just guessing here - I think there were 9 adult women in the back of the limo and one exit door. Its not easy moving around in the back of a limo, you are sitting on a long couch which is low, and in most limos you can't stand up (to easily walk out). If the fire became intense very quickly, it would have been like being caught in a cramped, small tube. Then there is the shear panic, smoke and fire. Nine people in a panicked situtation trying to get out one door.

How frightning for them all, a night of fun ends in horror. God bless them all.
 
Limousine fire kills five women on Calif. bridge


Reuters
3:56 p.m. CDT, May 5, 2013

(Reuters) - Five women killed in a bizarre limousine fire Saturday night in the Bay Area were part of a bachelorette party that included the bride-to-be, according to authorities and local media reports.
The victims have not been identified, pending notification of relatives, authorities said. Four other women and the driver of vehicle managed to escaped the burning vehicle, which was crossing the San Mateo Bridge at the time.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...ia-accidentbre94407r-20130505,0,3495116.story

Just beyond sad. :notgood:
 
Sad as this story is, and it's local to my area, I'm wondering if there wasn't some alcohol in the limo which may have contributed to the fire or women not getting out??? It's tragic that the bride seems to have been killed.
If I were the family, I'd certainly be looking to the limo company for answers/lawsuit.
 
This is horrifying. And I just heard on the car radio that the bride-to-be died in the fire. The fire started in the trunk. So maybe the flames came exploding out and injured the women sitting in the seat closest to the source of the fire. That can happen fast if there was an accelerant in the trunk.

This must be so devastating to the families. My family is busy helping our son plan his upcoming wedding. I cannot imagine what he would do if his fiance died a horrible death during her bachellorette party. So heartbreaking all around.
 
So. Sad! I just don't understand what caught fire in the trunk.
 
I just saw this on the news, how does this happen? I've never been in a limo, is there a reason they wouldn't get out? Doesn't make any sense....

Never ridden in a limo either but seen a few post on some of news sites that say the back doors of limos cannot be opened from the inside, only the driver can open them.

Anyone know if this is true?
 
Never ridden in a limo either but seen a few post on some of news sites that say the back doors of limos cannot be opened from the inside, only the driver can open them.

Anyone know if this is true?

I was watching a show on tv, and the lady kept trying to open the door of the limo, the driver came and did it and told her they were child locks. So if the vehicle is still running I suppose the doors would stay locked :/

So sad :(
 
It is really sad and bizarre. If limos were prone to catching fire, wouldn't we know by now?
 
I've only been in one limo. The door was at the back and we could not open the door from the inside. If the fire started in the trunk area, I imagine that these poor women didn't stand a chance. So incredibly sad!
 
I saw the shell shocked limo driver being interviewed on CNN. He seemed very forthright and sincere. And after hearing his explanation, I understand better what happened.

It appears as if it was some kind of electrical fire, some wiring which began in the trunk area. The car was in the fast line of the Bay Bridge, and one of the women knocked on the glass partition, and asked him something ' about smoke.' He thought they were asking if they could smoke in the limo, so he said " No, we will be there in 4 minutes.' He said then he started to smell smoke so he instantly began to change lanes to pull over to the right, but he did not know what the problem was yet. As he pulled over he looked back and saw smoke in the back. He opened the glass partition and began pulling women through one by one and he unlocked their doors. When one of the survivors opened the back door, the fire 'exploded' from the air. And that was pretty much it for the survivors when that happened. He said it was a matter of 30 to 60 seconds that the entire thing happened, from him pulling over, starting to help women climb thru, and that door opening, which caused the blowback.

He said there were no gas cans in the trunk and nothing that he can imagine that would ben so flammable.
 
So sad what a terrible way to die. I was in a limo for my prom and it was not easy to get in an out of. They really should have two emergency doors safety should come first not design. Hope the survivors get the help they need to cope with the trauma they have experienced as well as their physical injuries.
 

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