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A 20-year-old woman who died in Thursday’s explosion and fire in San Bruno was at her boyfriend’s house when the disaster struck, a friend said Friday.
Jessica Morales and her boyfriend, Joe Ruigomez, a 19-year-old Skyline College student, went back to Ruigomez’s home to watch the first football game of the NFL season after his classes Thursday, according to a friend who did not want to be named, but is also a Skyline College student.
On Ruigomez’s Facebook page, he wrote in a post dated 4:35 p.m. Thursday, “Finally the NFL season has arrived, gonna be a good year.”
But at about 6:15 p.m., the explosion rocked the Crestmoor Canyon neighborhood near the home, creating a fireball about 80 feet high. Ruigomez’s home caught fire, apparently trapping Morales inside, according to the friend, a 19-year-old San Bruno resident.
Ruigomez stayed inside, desperately trying to save Morales, but eventually was forced to leave the home to save his own life, the friend said.
He was eventually taken to Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, where he is in critical condition with severe burns, the friend said.
Ruigomez is one of four victims of the fire who are in critical condition at the hospital.
Dr. Michael Kulick said Friday that doctors will begin removing non-vital skin tissue from the patients over the next few days for skin grafts.
The patients will likely remain at the burn center for at least six to eight weeks more, Kulick said. He said he hoped to have a better assessment of their conditions by Sunday.
