Fil-Am woman dies after drug lab explosion in San Francisco
A 51-year-old Filipino-American woman died after her husband's alleged drug laboratory exploded in San Francisco, California.
According to the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), the house exploded and caught fire at about 9:20 a.m. on Feb. 9.
Investigators found the body of Rita Evelyn Lopez Price inside her burned two-story house in the city’s Sunset District.
Rita is said to have been wheelchair-bound after suffering a stroke.
Her caregiver, Lisa, a Thai immigrant, 65, was in the basement doing the laundry when the house exploded.
She was able to escape the fire but sustained injuries on her head and torso.
Meanwhile, Rita’s husband, Darron Price, 53, is suspected of operating an illegal drug laboratory in their house's garage. He was out of the house at the time of the blast.
SFPD Narcotics investigators reportedly found various equipment, including highly ignitable butane tanks, pressure stoves, and ovens, which probers said are used in manufacturing illegal drugs.
The caregiver said the married couple has three children. Two were in school when the incident happened while the third child is staying with an aunt.
The San Francisco Fire Department said at least five families were displaced by the fire that reached the third alarm and affected two other adjacent houses.
Price was arrested in the afternoon of Feb. 10, on the unit block of Newhall St, San Francisco, for multiple charges, including involuntary manslaughter, manufacturing narcotics, and child endangerment, the SFPD said.