Multiple people have been confirmed dead after a private aircraft crashed in a peaceful military housing area in Southern California as residents slept on Thursday morning, sparking huge fires and a major evacuation of an area, according to police reports.
The Cessna 550 aircraft crashed in the Murphy Canyon area around of San Diego around 3:47 a.m. amid heavy fog, with authorities confirming there were no survivors. According to San Diego police and fire officials, the plane had a capacity of eight to ten passengers, though the exact number of passengers on board has not yet been determined. However, no one was injured on the ground, according to authorities.
Fog Caused Major Problem
A massive fireball erupted following the crash, setting several homes and vehicles on fire. At least 15 homes have been impacted, San Diego Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy said during a news conference.
Neighbors told NBC 7 that they heard a "loud boom," felt their walls "shook," and then saw the flames. Another resident described the blast not as a typical explosion but more like "fireworks."
All residents in the area have been evacuated due to a "HAZMAT situation," with the evacuations covering multiple streets. The cause of the crash is still being investigated.
"When it hit the street, as the jet fuel went down it took out every single car that was on both sides of the street," Eddy said. "You can see that every single car was burning down both sides of the street."
Large pieces of wreckage and debris from the aircraft were scattered across the neighborhood. A utility pole was knocked down during the crash, causing power outages in the surrounding area. Officials are investigating whether the aircraft may have struck a power line.
San Diego Fire-Rescue has classified the event as a hazardous materials (HAZMAT) situation due to jet fuel flowing along the residential street, according to CBS 8.
Chaotic Scene
Multiple emergency response teams, including local firefighters, military police, the California Highway Patrol, San Diego police, and ambulance services, have been dispatched to the scene.
Along the street, the roof of one house had caved in and was scorched black, with a piece of white metal lying on the pavement in front of it.
Several cars, completely burned out, lined the roadway, while broken tree branches, shattered glass, and fragments of white and blue metal were strewn across the area. Thick black smoke rose at the end of the block as the flames continued to burn.
"There are multiple cars engulfed, we have jet fuel all over the place. We have hazmat on scene, and we asked for more resources. We are also working with the military," Eddy said during a press conference Thursday morning.
"The main goal moving forward is to ensure all those houses are cleared and no one is inside. Then we will move to the middle where the plane crashed near the cars and search them, then search the plane."
