MIAMI (Florida, US), Feb 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — One single-engine plane crashed into a mobile home park late Thursday in the U.S. state of Florida with multiple homes catching fire and casualties feared, according to media reports.
The pilot reported an engine failure before the plane went down around 7 p.m. (0000 GMT Friday) in Clearwater, said media reports.
Firefighters found four “heavily involved” mobile homes at the scene of the crash, said Clearwater Fire Chief Scott Ehlers in a news briefing.
Multiple fatalities were confirmed, said a post by Channel3 Now on social media.
First responders were still working to determine whether there were victims inside the house that the plane crashed into, said Ehlers.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are also working to identify the aircraft, its pilot and any passengers, according to Ehlers.
The aircraft, a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35, crashed into the residential area after the pilot reported an engine failure, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said.
It was not clear how many people were on the plane.
One person on the ground also received a minor injury and refused treatment, said Ehlers, who said the pilot was dead, according to reports from the scene.
In all, four homes were damaged in the mobile home park where the crash occurred, he said.
“A mobile home doesn’t withstand much in the first place, so the aircraft pretty much demolished it. The fire consumed the rest,” Ehlers said.
Neighbor Steven Ascari, who posted video of the scene on social media, said first responders arrived quickly and put out the flames within half an hour.
“We heard an explosion outside that shook the entire apartment and next thing you know a giant pillar of smoke was seen,” Ascari said.
Clearwater is a city of about 117,000 people on the Gulf Coast about 24 miles (40 km) west of Tampa. — NNN-AGENCIES
