A small private plane crashed early this morning (May 22) in San Diego’s Murphy Canyon neighborhood, igniting fires in about 15 homes and several vehicles.
Authorities rushed to the scene near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport at around 3:45 a.m. local time. The crash forced evacuations and street closures in the area. Assistant Fire Chief Dan Eddy warned, “We have jet fuel all over the place. Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now.”
The neighborhood was blanketed in thick fog at the time of the crash. Eddy added, “You could barely see in front of you.” He described the area as having “a gigantic debris field” and confirmed that the aircraft caused “a direct hit to multiple homes.”
The aircraft involved was a Cessna 550, which typically carries 6–8 people. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement, “The number of people on board is unknown at this time.” The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation.