A mother of three, a loving caregiver; The victims of the horrific SF Sunset District house explosion
By KPIX Staff
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SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — It happened in an instant. The mother of three young children is tragically killed and her caregiver is left battling for her life.
Both were victims of last week’s horrific explosion and ensuing inferno that engulfed a two-story home in San Francisco’s Sunset District. The force of the blast shattered windows up and down the street and left two other homes uninhabitable.
On Wednesday, the San Francisco Medical Examiner identified the woman whose body was recovered from the wreckage of a home in the city’s Sunset District as 51-year-old Rita Price.
Her caregiver, Lisa, is hospitalized after suffering burns to her head, torso and hands as she raced out of the home ablaze.
Meanwhile, Price’s 53-year-old husband, Darron, was scheduled to be arraigned on multiple charges in a San Francisco courtroom Wednesday afternoon.
Those charges include involuntary manslaughter, manufacturing a controlled substance, four counts of reckless burning, two counts of child endangerment, and one count of elder abuse in connection with the explosion.
Investigators say they found equipment used to manufacture hash oil in the rubble of the home. The illegal operation likely triggered the explosion.
One of Rita’s friends, Cindy Oliveros, told KPIX that the 51-year-old had a stroke or brain aneurysm years ago that impacted the left side of her body, which is why she was in a wheelchair.
She was the mother of three. The two youngest lived at home and were at school when the blast happened. Her oldest was out of state.
Since last week’s tragedy, the two youngsters have been staying with Rita’s sister.
“For those of you who knew her…she had a very kind soul and a heart of gold. Her smile and laugh were infectious. The world was a better place with her in it,” Oliveros wrote on a GoFundMe page. “The family and friends are struggling to accept the sudden and cruel way she left this world. The heartbreak is overwhelming.”
Lisa emigrated to San Francisco from Thailand eight years ago. She became a caregiver to support herself as well as her parents and siblings back in Thailand.
“Despite the deafening sound of an explosion and the extreme heat she felt, Lisa was still conscious enough to tell people that someone, her disabled employer, was still inside the house and needed help,” Anchalee Kurutach wrote on Lisa’s GoFundMe page. She has cared for this person for many years. This trauma was most tragic and unimaginable, and we hope that the community will help Lisa recover from her serious injury of the body and no doubt, of the mind.”
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