2 killed, 18 injured after plane crashes into warehouse in Southern California
FULLERTON, Calif. (KTLA) — Two people died and at least 18 people were injured Thursday afternoon when a plane crashed into the roof of a Southern California warehouse.
The crash happened around 2:10 p.m. in the City of Fullerton, which lies southeast of Los Angeles and just north of Anaheim.
The incident was first reported as a structure fire, indicating the plane crash had sparked a fire.
Video from Sky5 later confirmed that a commercial building directly adjacent to the Fullerton Municipal Airport had been hit, with a large hole in the building's roof and no sign of any visible plane wreckage.
Firefighters were seen battling the fire inside the warehouse, and nearby buildings were evacuated.
First responders could be seen treating an untold number of people on the ground with several ambulances standing by to transport them to area hospitals if needed.
At 2:40 p.m., the Fullerton Police Department said there were an unknown number of "casualties." An hour later, police confirmed that nine people were transported to local hospitals and six others were treated and released at the scene.
One person, likely the pilot, was reported deceased.
By 4:45 p.m., the death and injury toll grew, with police announcing a second person had died and three more people were treated for injuries, including one who was taken to a hospital.
Video shared by the Citizen App immediately after the crash showed a large plume of black smoke billowing from a gaping hole in the building's roof, fire trucks speeding toward the source and firefighters assessing the situation from a nearby roof.
Police urged drivers to avoid the area as several roads near the scene of the crash were closed.
In November, two people narrowly avoided serious injury when their plane crashed into a tree near the same airport.
Gil Leyvas in Fullerton contributed to this report.