Five of them, including the bride, never made it across.
Somewhere on the
seven-mile San Mateo-Hayward bridge, the limousine caught fire. The
driver and four members of the bachelorette party got out, but the bride
-- identified by a relative as 31-year-old Neriza Fojas -- and four
others died in the burning limo Saturday night, the California Highway
Patrol said.
"The flames were
gigantic," said Roxanne Guzman, who was crossing the bridge with her
husband and brother about 10 p.m. Saturday (1 a.m. Sunday ET). "The
flames were so big and radiating so much heat that I could feel the heat
off of my face, and I was in my car the entire time."
Guzman said the survivors
appeared to be in a state of shock on the shoulder of the roadway, with
three of them crying. Other passersby had stopped, but police and
firefighters hadn't arrived yet, she said.
Why did limousine burst into flames?
Flames engulf limo, trap passengers
The driver was uninjured,
but the four surviving women were treated for smoke inhalation,
California Highway Patrol spokesman Ron Simmons said Sunday. The cause
of the blaze was under investigation.
"Looking at the photos,
it appears it started in the trunk," Simmons said. "But at this time, we
don't know officially if the fire started inside the vehicle or on the
exterior."
Lovela Nicolas, the
sister-in-law of Fojas' sister, said Fojas was a registered nurse. The
Fresno woman was slated to be married in June, and she and her friends
had hired the Lincoln for her bachelorette party, Nicolas said.
"Neriza was getting
married, going to Philippines to get married there and have ceremony
there and the reception," Nicolas told CNN from her home in Honolulu.
The mother of one of the surviving women told CNN affiliate KTVU that her daughter, Mary Guardiano, was upset but physically OK.
"She's very sad. She is crying," said Rosita Guardiano.
In a written statement, the limousine company said it was "deeply saddened" by the deaths.
"LimoStop Inc. will do
everything possible to investigate and assist authorities in determining
the cause of this fire in order to help bring forth answers and provide
closure to the victims and their families," it said.
Medical examiners may need up to two days to identify the remains, San Mateo County Deputy Coroner Roger Fielding said.