Limo fire: Newlywed who died was en route to meet husband

By Lee Romney and Angel Jennings

May 5, 2013 10:24 PM PT

A 31-year-old registered nurse who was killed along with four friends in a limousine fire was a newlywed who was headed to a Bay Area hotel where her husband awaited her arrival, relatives reported.

Nerizo Fojas had recently married and was planning to travel to her native Philippines in June for a wedding ceremony before her own family, relatives told both the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News.

A limousine driver with LimoStop Inc. picked up Fojas and eight companions in Oakland and was going to drop them off about 40 miles away at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Foster City, where Fojas’ husband waited.

PHOTOS: Fatal limo fire

But as the white 1999 Lincoln Town Car crossed the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, the passengers noticed smoke coming from the back of the vehicle, said San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault.

They alerted the driver, who pulled over.

When the driver got out, he saw that the rear of the vehicle was engulfed in flames, Foucrault said. The fire quickly spread, trapping several of the women inside.

Three escaped through a passenger door, and a fourth climbed through a partition in front.

The other five women, including Fojas, died. “It was almost impossible for them to get out as the fire was moving so fast,” Foucrault said.

Two of the surviving passengers — Jasmin de Guia, 34, of San Jose and Amalia Loyola, 48, of San Leandro — were taken to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, where they were treated for smoke inhalation and burns. Both were in critical condition.

The other two passengers — Nelia Arellano, 36, of Oakland and Mary Grace Guardiano, 42, of Alameda — were taken to Stanford Medical Center. Both were also treated for burns and smoke inhalation, authorities said.

Guardiano’s mother, Rosita Guardiano, told a local television station that her daughter and Arellano were “the first to go away from the car” and were not seriously injured.

Deadly limo fire: Two survivors of limo fire in intensive care

Deadly limo fire: May take days to determine cause, officials say

[email protected]

More to Read

California

Lee Romney

Former staff writer Lee Romney covered the Bay Area and Northern California news for the Los Angeles Times from the San Francisco bureau. Romney grew up in Canada and then Arizona before moving to the Bay Area. She started with the L.A. Times in 1992 and after many years in the Southland returned to San Francisco in 2003. She left the newsroom in 2015.

Angel Jennings

As assistant managing editor for culture and talent, Angel Jennings oversees the Los Angeles Times’ Metpro and internship programs as well as works closely with HR and department heads to help manage a broad range of responsibilities, including tracking, recruiting, interviewing and selecting diverse candidates for job opportunities and advancing the company’s efforts to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and access. She also works across the newsroom on retention, training and career development efforts. Jennings previously worked as a reporter in Metro. She got her start in the Metpro program in 2011 and has since worked on assignments with many departments in the newsroom, including Metro, National, Calendar, Business and podcasts. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska.

Limo fire: Newlywed who died was en route to meet husband

More to Read

More From the Los Angeles Times

Most Read in California