A small aircraft crashed in a large San Diego military neighborhood Thursday morning, killing two people and injuring eight others, police said.
The aircraft, a Cessna 550, crashed around 3:45 a.m. in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, leaving a path of destruction.
Officials said about 100 residents were displaced; Liberty Military Housing and the Red Cross are assisting in finding immediate accommodations.
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The plane can carry six to eight people, although investigators said they are still trying to determine how many people were on board.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is analyzing the scene and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials are on their way.
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As of 11:30 a.m. local time, San Diego Police Department Lt. Travis Easter said the scene was “still active” and roads will remain closed.
Naval Base San Diego Capt. Bob Healy described the neighborhood as “one of the largest military housing areas in the world.”
Initial reports say that the plane hit a pole, losing its wing, then crashed into a home, sending debris airborne. Officials said that 15 homes were impacted by the crash. The plane originated from the Midwest.
“We have jet fuel all over the place,” Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy said during a news conference.
He said there was a “direct hit to multiple homes” and described “a gigantic debris field” in an area of densely populated homes and sweeping canyon views.
Video footage shows one house badly damaged by fire. At least three cars were seen burned in the driveway and the roof was partially collapsed.
Officials said military families helped each other escape homes and jump out of windows, preventing additional injuries and fatalities.
Debris from the aircraft was seen strewn along a nearby road and several other cars on the road were also charred and mangled and could be seen still smoldering hours later as the morning sky brightened.
“We had one stubborn car fire that wouldn’t go out, but the house fires have been knocked down,” Eddy said. “Every car on both sides of the street caught fire due to jet fuel. Multiple homes were destroyed.”
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl described the catastrophic scenes.
“I can’t quite put words to describe what this scene looks like but with the jet fuel going down the street and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see,” Wahl said. “For the police officers and firefighters to run in there, start trying to evacuate people out of the way and doing anything and everything they could to try to save somebody’s life is really heroic.”
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The crash site is close to the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, a smaller airport on the north side of the city. The crash drew a large police and fire response with first responders going from house to house to check on residents.
Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the plane to crash.
One witness said he heard several loud booms followed by fires.
“You look out the window, you just see big flames… So big flames, flames everywhere,” he told Fox 2 KTVU.
Multiple roads were cordoned off as fuel rolled down the street, officials said.
The FAA and NTSB will investigate, the FAA said in a statement. The NSTB will lead the investigation and provide any updates, the FAA said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
