Newlywed, 4 Others Die When Limo Bursts Into Flames On San Francisco Bridge

A stretch limousine taking nine women to a bachelorette party erupted in flames, killing five of the passengers, including the bride-to-be, said authorities and the mother of one of the survivors.
The limo caught fire around 10 p.m. Saturday on one of the busiest bridges on San Francisco Bay, California Highway Patrol officer Art Montiel said.
Five of the women were trapped, but the four other women escaped after the vehicle came to a stop on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, the patrol said. The driver of the limo — 46-year-old Orville Brown of San Jose — was the only person to get out unhurt. Attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.

Rosita Guardiano told the San Francisco Chronicle that the woman for whom the bachelorette party was being thrown was to be married next month. Guardiano said her daughter was one of the survivors.
Investigators haven’t determined what sparked the fire, but the highway patrol said the white stretch limo became engulfed in flames after smoke started coming out of the rear of the vehicle.
A photo taken by a witness and broadcast on KTVU-TV showed flames shooting from the back.