A small plane crashed into a residential street in San Diego’s Murphy Canyon neighborhood early Thursday morning, sparking a large fire and damaging multiple homes.
The incident occurred shortly before 4 a.m. local time on May 22. Images shared on social media showed flames engulfing a section of the residential area as emergency crews rushed to the scene.
The San Diego Police Department confirmed the crash in a statement posted to Instagram:
“We’re responding to a plane crash in the area of Sculpin Street and Santo Road. Please avoid the area to allow emergency crews to work safely. More information will be shared as it becomes available.”
San Diego Fire Chief Dan Eddy said 15 homes sustained damage, and emergency crews were working to search residences across a four-block radius. Firefighters also worked to evacuate the area, which was heavily saturated with jet fuel.
Chief Eddy noted that conditions at the time of the crash were extremely poor due to thick fog, making visibility near zero.
“When we arrived, multiple vehicles were already on fire,” he said. All fires have since been extinguished, and the focus has shifted to ensuring resident safety and full evacuation of the surrounding area.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the aircraft involved was a Cessna 550, which can carry up to eight passengers. The plane went down near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. The FAA has not yet determined how many people were on board at the time of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation into the cause of the accident.
