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The Victims: Franco Dies in Hospital After Being Injured in Fire

The latest information on the victims of the explosion and fire in San Bruno.

Confirmed deaths

Elizabeth Torres, 81

Torres lived at 1660 Claremont Drive.

Teresa Whorton, Torres' daughter-in-law, told the San Francisco Chronicle that Torres has nine children.

Two daughters with her at the time of the explosion are in critical condition in the burn unit at Saint Francis Hospital in San Francisco. 

Whorton said her mother-in-law was home Thursday, waiting for PG&E crews to check problems she was having with her gas stove, according to the Chronicle.

Jacqueline Greig, 44

Lived at 1670 Claremont Drive. Analyst with the California Public Utilities Commission.

Jacqueline has an older daughter who goes to St. Ignatius College Prep School. Gabriella Greig is a junior (class of '12). This principal's note says Gabriella and her father were not home at the time of the explosion.

Janessa Greig, 13

Daughter of Jacqueline Greig. Janessa was an eighth-grader who attended St. Cecilia's School in San Francisco. To read more about her, click here.

The Rev. Joseph Landi, from St. Cecilia, said Janessa, like her mother, was personable and well-known among her peers. 

Janessa was class president and took part in various extracurricular activities including drama club. 

"It's been difficult for the kids," said Landi. " [Janessa] is a student known by everyone. "

Jessica Morales, 20

Was at her boyfriend's house at Earl Avenue and Glenview Drive when the explosion and fire occurred. Joseph Ruigomez, 20, is in critical condition at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco.

Maria Deleon, a family friend, was at Morales' family's home on Friday. Her son, Marco Flores, was a good friend of Morales from Capuchino High School. She remembered Morales as a talkative and friendly girl with a beautiful smile who used to come over and do karaoke with her daughter on the Wii.

"Her personality just made you fall in love with her," Deleon said. "We considered her part of our family: we called each other mom and daughter because she was always here with our son and always part of our family."

Morales graduated from Peninsula High School in 2008 and aspired to be a fashion designer.  On her Facebook page, now filled with messages of shock and sorrow by her friends, her profile photo shows her and Ruigomez with their heads touching. Her personal statement says, "im infatuated," with a heart symbol at the end.

Greg, William and Lavonne Bullis

The San Mateo County coroner's office on Sept. 22 confirmed what members of the Bullis family already knew: that Greg Bullis, 50, his 17-year-old son William and Greg's 85-year-old mother Lavonne were among those that died in the fire. 

Greg Bullis was a nurse, according to his Facebook page, and William was a student at Mills High School in Millbrae.

They lived at 1690 Claremont Drive.

The friends of William gathered at Chili's to remember him. Friends of the family said they wished to mourn in private.

James Franco, 58

Franco lived at 951 Glenview Drive in a two-story home that was shared by four families. The house was 200 feet from the natural gas transmission line that exploded.

Shortly after the blast occurred, while residents were still being evacuated, Franco's roommate, Jose Alvarado, was standing near San Bruno Avenue and recalled how the two escaped from the home moments earlier.

On the night of the fire, Franco's roommate, Jose Alvarado, said he heard an explosion and tried to open his front door, but the flames drove him back inside, where the force of the blast had shattered his windows.

He grabbed Franco and the two fled out the back door, the flames at their backs, and kicked down a fence to escape.

Alvarado was not hurt, but Franco was burned and had to be taken by ambulance to a hospital. 

Franco was being treated at San Francisco General Hospital until Sept. 20, when he was transferred to UCSF Medical Center, where he died.

Hospitalized

San Francisco General Hospital

UPDATE: Sept. 22. All four patients who were being treated at the hospital have been discharged. The woman in her 80s with smoke inhalation injuries was released Sept. 15 in good condition. The woman in her 80s with burn injuries was transferred to another hospital Saturday in fair condition. The man in his 50s with burn injuries was transferred to another hospital Monday in critical condition. The woman in her 60s with smoke inhalation injuries was released Tuesday in good condition. 

Saint Francis Hospital

UPDATE: Nov. 17. Four patients.  Three have burns on at least 50 percent of their bodies. Of those, one is now in acute rehabilitation in good condition. Another is in serious condition, and the other is in fair condition. The fourth had burns on 40 percent of the body and was recently discharged. The hospital would not release patient gender or age range.

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Greg May 24, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Nice comments about San Bruno appreciated. I agree, it has alot going for it.
RFA May 23, 2013 at 02:20 pm
Ridiculous! Here we go with another housing crisis. The inflated prices these home are selling forRead More is going to back fire once again.
Claudia Quinn April 9, 2013 at 03:42 pm
Still vote for fuel pump cafe. It used to be called carrot. Her food is fresh and delicious. AndRead More she's in San Bruno.
Steve B April 9, 2013 at 04:11 am
By all means go to big joes! The place is small but thats what keeps it Great! good old San BrunoRead More Style not many left,I have lived in san Bruno most my life and remember a lot of the places in the pictures that hang on the walls. Great place
Mike April 9, 2013 at 02:53 am
Honestly, best breakfast is 'Millbrae Lyons Pancake Breakfast' but again, thats Millbrae.
watchfultaxpayer May 15, 2013 at 10:20 pm
Mr, Kiely, When they cut school days, isn't the savings in that the employees who directly work withRead More and for the children are deprived of that many days of pay??? Do the principals also lose 5 days pay? Does Hutt lose 5 days pay? Do the board members lose 5 days worth of their stipend. In other words, is the bad tasting medicine swallowed by everyone in the school district in a sincere effort to cure the ills of this school district Or is it just the teachers and the classified workers who are called upon to attempt a restoral of good health, the direct result of poor management and less than admirable leadership that has brought about ths crisis??
watchfultaxpayer May 15, 2013 at 10:04 pm
Mr, Kiely, Somewhere I heard that they were considering stopping contracting out PE at a largeRead More savings. Was that discussed last week? I was not abe to stay the entire evening. I question why they would have contracted for PE at the elementary level. Isn't that what recess and the balance of lunch time was for? Physical activity??? Thank you in advance for your always knowledgeable answer to my questions.
Chris Kiely April 30, 2013 at 09:54 pm
District cutting school days? The District is showing an agreement with the union which will saveRead More $200K. It doesn't show where the money is coming from, but the amount makes it look like they are cutting 5 days from the calendar. Dr. Hutt said at the last meeting that the length of the school year was still under negotiation.
Maria Pia May 16, 2013 at 07:56 pm
Have ya seen the spiffed up American Legion building!? Thank you to the volunteers ~Read More http://www.pgecurrents.com/2013/05/02/pge-volunteers-repaint-american-legion-building-in-san-bruno/