Several people are feared dead after a small aircraft crashed into a residential area in California before dawn on Thursday, destroying homes and igniting vehicles.
At least ten houses were either struck or damaged by debris, which scattered widely after the Cessna 550 came down in a San Diego neighbourhood. Cars on both sides of the street caught fire following the crash.
“There are multiple fatalities confirmed so far, but we are awaiting the passenger manifest to determine how many were on board,” said Dan Eddy, Assistant Chief of the San Diego Fire Department.
“When the plane hit the street, the jet fuel flowed downhill and ignited every vehicle parked on both sides,” he added. “There’s jet fuel everywhere.”
Eyewitness Accounts and Scene Destruction
One local resident, speaking to a Fox affiliate, said he had to flee his house in a hurry.
“I looked out the window and saw flames everywhere,” he said, choosing to remain anonymous. “Then we heard a chain of explosions—boom, boom, boom. It was surreal.”
Footage from the scene showed a fiery trail of fuel linking burning vehicles, while thick smoke hung over the street.
Eddy noted that, “miraculously,” no one on the ground was confirmed to have been killed or seriously injured.
Thick Fog and Devastation
Daylight revealed how narrowly some residents had escaped disaster. Images showed the roof of one home blackened and partially collapsed, vehicles burnt and twisted, and several trees scorched by flames. The pungent odour of aviation fuel lingered for hours as emergency personnel searched the area.
The crash occurred amid dense fog as the aircraft, which had departed from Kansas, was approaching Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the plane—capable of seating up to eight people—crashed at approximately 3:45 a.m. local time (1145 GMT), hitting the Murphy Canyon neighbourhood.
The affected area includes mostly military housing. San Diego hosts multiple US Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard facilities.
Evacuations and Community Impact
Zane Baker, a local sixth form student, said police had gone door to door urging residents to evacuate.
“I ran to the front door to see what was going on,” he told broadcaster KTLA. “Then I woke my siblings to make sure they were safe and alert.”
Baker, who described himself as a “Navy brat,” said the area had descended into chaos.
“Our parking areas are full, entrances are blocked, and people are just wandering about unsure what to do. It’s complete confusion.”
Aviation Concerns Across the US
The crash comes at a time of heightened concern about aviation safety in the United States. In recent weeks, there have been repeated air traffic control outages at Newark airport on the East Coast.
Earlier this year, a passenger aircraft collided mid-air with a military helicopter over Washington. And earlier this month, two people died when a small plane crashed into a residential neighbourhood northwest of Los Angeles.
Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the San Diego crash as local residents try to come to terms with the destruction and loss.