Two people died and eight were injured when a small private plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood early Thursday, igniting cars and homes while forcing about 100 people to evacuate the area.
The fiery crash occurred around 3:47 a.m. when a small Cessna 550 abruptly came down into the Murphy Canyon neighborhood. The plane could hold between eight and 10 people, but authorities have not said how many people were believed to be aboard the aircraft at the time.
Authorities have not said whether the two people who died were on the ground or in the plane. However, all of those injured were on the ground.
The aircraft appeared to have destroyed at least one home, leaving it charred and collapsed. About 10 to 15 homes and half a dozen vehicles also suffered damage, and it took first responders several hours to extinguish the flames.
When asked where the plane debris wound up, Assistant Fire Chief Dan Eddy noted it was “everywhere” and there was a “very large” debris field.
The disaster, which occurred during particularly foggy weather, prompted the evacuation of a stretch of homes within the neighborhood, which mainly serves military service members.
The crash let a steady stream of jet fuel running down the street and caused multiple cars to catch fire, Eddy said.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said “close to 100 people” were displaced due to the sheer amount of jet fuel spilled and overall destruction. Authorities said they hoped people would be able to return to their homes by Thursday evening.
All of the injured were on the ground at the time of the crash, according to Officer Anthony Carrasco. Five people from a single family home were hospitalized for smoke inhalation and another person was treated at a hospital for injuries sustained while climbing out of a window trying to flee.
Two other people were also treated for minor injuries at the scene, Carrasco said.
Officials have detailed a “very foggy” morning when plane crashed, with Eddy, the assistant fire chief, noting, “You could barely see in front of you.” It was not immediately clear if the weather had any role in the incident.
It was also not immediately known what led to the crash, though the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a “clipped” power line in the area that the plane may have struck.
Authorities have not yet shared how many people were on the plane or the identities of the deceased.
Hours after the disaster, chunks of metal from the aircraft remained littered across the street, with no clear body of the plane visible. The fiery aftermath, with cars up in flames and thick plumes of gray smoke rising from the neighborhood, left locals in shock.
“It was definitely horrifying for sure, but sometimes you’ve just got to drop your head and get to safety,” Christopher Moore, who lives one street over from the crash site, said.
Police rescued multiple animals from the site, including three husky puppies that were rolled away from the scene in a wagon.
The flight had been coming from the Midwest, authorities said. According to the flight tracking site Flight Aware, the plane was supposed to arrive at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport in San Diego at 3:47 a.m., coming in from the small Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas.
Officials at the Kansas airport said it was there making a fueling stop. The flight originated Wednesday night in Teterboro, New Jersey, according to Flight Aware.
With Associated Press contributions.
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