Plane plunges into San Diego homes, triggering huge fireball and chaos  

A small private plane crashed into a quiet military housing neighborhood in San Diego’s Murphy Canyon early Thursday morning, igniting a massive fireball that damaged at least 15 properties and forced widespread evacuations. The Cessna 550 went down around 3:47 a.m. amid dense fog, sending flames through homes and cars and shaking residents from their sleep.

Neighbors described the impact as a “loud boom” followed by trembling walls and blinding flames. “It was like fireworks, not just an explosion,” one local told NBC 7. Authorities have not confirmed how many people were aboard the aircraft, and a search is underway for the pilot and any potential passengers. San Diego Fire-Rescue has declared the site a hazardous materials scene due to jet fuel spilling into residential streets, prompting evacuations across several blocks.

The private Cessna 550 went down just before 4 a.m. Thursday in the 3100 block of Salmon Street, leaving a trail of destruction through San Diego’s Murphy Canyon neighborhood. Large chunks of the aircraft were scattered across lawns and rooftops, and a toppled power pole caused outages in the area.

San Diego Fire-Rescue declared the scene a hazardous materials emergency after jet fuel spilled into residential streets, prompting urgent evacuations. Multiple agencies, including local fire crews, military police, California Highway Patrol, and San Diego police, responded to the fiery crash. “There are multiple cars engulfed, we have jet fuel all over the place,” Assistant Fire Chief Dan Eddy said during a morning press briefing. “We’re working closely with the military and have called in more resources.”

Eddy confirmed several homes were hit directly and described the crash zone as a “gigantic debris field.” The top priority, he said, is to make sure every home is cleared before crews move toward the plane wreckage to search the surrounding area and the aircraft itself.