Authorities said on Thursday that a small private plane crashed in a military housing area in San Diego, California, resulting in at least two fatalities.
San Diego Fire Department Assistant Chief Dan Eddy stated during a press conference that the business jet crashed in heavy fog early on Thursday, leading to “more than one person” losing their lives, all of whom appeared to be occupants of the aircraft, with no injuries reported on the ground.
“When it hit the street, the fuel from the jet sprayed out, destroying every car parked on both sides of the street,” Eddy said. “You could see each car on the street burning.”
The incident caused several homes to catch fire, prompting the evacuation of families in several blocks.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl described the scene at a press conference, stating, “I can’t describe in words what the scene was like at the time, but as the plane fuel flowed on the street, everything suddenly caught fire, and the scene was very frightening.”
San Diego officials have not released detailed information about the crashed plane but mentioned that it was a flight coming from the Midwest.
According to data from the flight tracking website “Flight Aware,” the Cessna Citation II jet took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey late Wednesday night, made a brief stop at an airport in Wichita, Kansas, for about an hour before continuing its flight, originally scheduled to land at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego at 3:47 a.m.
A spokesperson for the San Diego Fire Department told CNN that around 3:45 a.m. on Thursday, a Cessna plane crashed near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
Eddy mentioned that the fog was heavy when the private plane crashed, making it difficult to see ahead clearly.
He added that the fire department will investigate whether the plane struck power lines.
These types of private planes are commonly used for business travel and can accommodate 8 to 10 people.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are currently investigating the accident.
According to CNN, Naval Base San Diego Commander Robert Heely mentioned that the community affected by the crash is one of the “largest military housing areas in the world.”
“Of course, we have many military families impacted,” he said, offering condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the plane crash.