A small plane crashed into a neighborhood in San Diego on Monday evening, burning and destroying several homes. The plane crashed outside of El Cajon, a suburb to the east of San Diego.
Emergency workers arrived quickly to the site as massive fire and smoke dominated the air. Local officials reported that the single-engine plane crashed around 7:15 p.m. and hit a number of homes in a residential area.
Firefighters battled the fire for many hours. Several homes were badly damaged, with one completely gutted. A few cars parked on the street were also consumed by the fire.
Officials confirm there were deaths, but they have not yet confirmed the number of people killed or injured. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are now probing the reason for the crash.
The witness explained that one of them heard a loud boom and fire everywhere. “It sounded like an explosion. We went outside and there was a house on fire,” the resident said.
The number of people who were in the homes at the time is not clear. Some of the neighbors had evacuated before the fire started. Local officials have not confirmed whether the pilot of the plane survived the crash.
Power was knocked out in parts of the neighborhood as rescue crews worked throughout the night to secure the site. Several families were displaced and are now being assisted by the Red Cross and other emergency responders.
It is not the first time an airplane had a crash in a residential area in San Diego. It once occurred before in 2021 when a medevac plane crashed onto homes and killed the pilot and a resident.
The recent incident reignited safety issues regarding flight paths over heavily populated cities. City officials say they are working with federal agencies to ensure safety and prevent such an incident in the future.
