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A small private plane crashed in a quiet military housing neighborhood in southern California early this morning, police have confirmed.
The Cessna 550 plane crashed in San Diego’s Murphy Canyon neighborhood around 3.47am during a period of dense fog.
A huge fireball erupted after the crash, setting multiple homes and cars ablaze. Officials say at least 15 properties have been affected.
Neighbors told NBC 7 they heard a ‘loud boom’, their walls ‘shook’ and then they saw the blaze. Another local described the eruption as ‘not like an explosion’ but more similar to ‘fireworks’.
Officials do not know how many people were on board, but say the search for the pilot and any possible passengers is underway.
Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy said first responders have ‘not transported anyone from the scene so far’.
All residents have been evacuated from the neighborhood due to the ‘HAZMAT situation’. The evacuations have spanned multiple streets.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. DailyMail.com has approached San Diego police for more information.
A Cessna 550 plane crashed in San Diego’s Murphy Canyon neighborhood around 3.47am Thursday during a period of dense fog
A huge fireball erupted after the crash, setting multiple homes and cars ablaze
Debris, including large parts of the plane, are scattered around the neighborhood
Officials do not know how many people were on board, but say the search for the pilot and any possible passengers is underway
The private plane crashed in the 3100 block of Salmon Street just before 4am on Thursday.
Debris, including large parts of the plane, are scattered around the neighborhood.
A power pole was brought down during the incident, creating outages in the area.
San Diego Fire-Rescue has declared the incident a HAZMAT situation because of the flow of the plane fuel going down the residential street, CBS 8 reports.
‘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 in the middle where the plane crashed near the cars and search them, then search the plane.’
Eddy said ‘there is a direct hit to multiple homes’ in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood and described ‘a gigantic debris field.’ He also described the scene as something reminiscent of a Hollywood disaster film.
One witness, a Marine Corps sergeant who works in aviation, told NBC 7 the pilot carried out an ’emergency landing’ in the middle of the street, allegedly avoiding crashing into any homes.
The aircraft was headed to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, less than three miles away from the crash site, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed.
A traffic alert has been issued for nearby Interstate 15, with the off-ramp blocked at Aero Drive. Drivers are being diverted and encouraged to avoid the area.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
The private plane crashed in the 3100 block of Salmon Street just before 4am on Thursday. Officials say at least 15 properties have been affected
San Diego Fire-Rescue has declared the incident a HAZMAT situation because of the flow of the plane fuel reportedly going down the residential street
All residents have been evacuated from the neighborhood. The cause of the crash remains under investigation
Officials say a power pole was brought down during the incident, creating outages in the area
