A small jet has crashed in a residential area in El Cajon, San Diego County, California, with its wreckage catching fire and knocking down power lines in the area. It is unclear yet if there were any casualties.
The incident, which took place at around 7pm local time on Monday, saw a small jet – reportedly a Learjet 35 – going down at the intersection of Pepper Drive and North Mollison Avenue.
Videos from the scene show multiple fire engines responding to the crash in an attempt to put out the blaze, which was raging in close proximity to homes.
The crash caused a blackout in the area, the jet apparently having severed power lines as it fell. San Diego-based energy provider SDGE has confirmed to local media that the incident had affected its customers, leaving about 600 households without power.
The aftermath of the crash was visible from some distance away, with a pillar of fire and smoke seen billowing from the scene.
The fire has now been extinguished, according to the sheriff’s department. However, it remains unclear how many passengers were aboard the jet, and whether any nearby residents were hurt in the incident.
“We were outside and, basically, we heard the plane getting closer. Normally, they get loud because we live right by the airport, but it got really, really loud and, all of a sudden, we think it could’ve hit the power lines above our house, but we just saw bright blue and orange flashing lights and we heard the electricity running,” a local woman told NBC San Diego. “And then, after that, we heard the plane actually crash. We ran out immediately and there was a ton of smoke everywhere. All we saw was fire and smoke.”
Audio footage allegedly coming from the ill-fated plane has been shared online. In it, the pilot is heard shouting, “Oh, sh*t! Oh, sh*t! Oh, sh*t! Aargh!” before the recording cuts off.
© 2021, paradox. All rights reserved.
