At least 2 dead in California plane crash that burned homes

SANTEE, Calif. – A tiny level crashed successful a densely populated San Diego suburb Monday, sidesplitting astatine slightest 2 people, including a UPS driver, and leaving a way of demolition that sent neighbors scrambling to assistance neighbors. At slightest 2 others were injured.

Witnesses described a retired mates being rescued from 1 of 2 homes that were destroyed successful Santee, a mostly residential suburb of 50,000 people. Ten different homes were damaged.

Several vehicles, including a transportation truck, were besides torched.

“Not to beryllium excessively graphic, but it’s a beauteous brutal scene,” Justin Matsushita, Santee's lawman occurrence chief, said arsenic firefighters searched the smoldering ruins.

Authorities didn't place the transportation motortruck institution oregon accidental if anyone was inside, but United Parcel Service of America Inc. confirmed 1 of its workers died.

“We are heartbroken by the nonaccomplishment of our employee, and widen our deepest condolences to his household and friends," the institution said. “We besides nonstop our condolences for the different individuals who are progressive successful this incident, and their families and friends.”

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The information of the 2 injured wasn't instantly known.

Michael Keeley 43, ran barefoot extracurricular erstwhile his location shook. He saw the UPS motortruck successful flames and recovered 2 neighbors astatine a burning location calling done an unfastened window.

With heavy fume wrong the neighbors' location and flames licking the roof, Keeley stood connected a stone and reached done to drawback the woman's limb and assistance her ascent retired of the window. Her forearms were burned, and her hairsbreadth was singed.

“She kept saying, ‘My puppy, my puppy,’” Keeley said.

Moments later, determination were explosions wrong the home. Neighbors knocked retired fencing to rescue the woman's hubby from the backyard.

“I’m gladsome I didn’t person to spell wrong with my bare feet,” said Keeley, a probation officer.

Andrew Pelloth, 30, was moving from location erstwhile helium heard a whirring and past a immense boom.

“My archetypal thought was that it was a meteorite coming down," helium said. "I could perceive it falling and past immoderate benignant of explosion.”

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Pelloth lives crossed the thoroughfare from the retired mates and saw the location and the transportation motortruck engulfed successful flames. Mangled ruins of vehicles were successful the couple's driveway.

Erik Huppert, 57, rushed to the couple’s location aft his location shook. He joined Pelloth to propulsion boards disconnected the obstruction to prevention the husband, who was walking successful the backyard.

The pistillate and her hubby were burned connected their arms but were inactive capable to locomotion and talk, Pelloth said.

“Both were decidedly successful shock, but astatine slightest they were alive,” said Huppert, a subject contractor.

No 1 was location astatine the different location that was destroyed, which sold lone a period ago. Pelloth said helium met the caller proprietor Monday arsenic helium arrived to spot the damage.

The level was a twin-engine Cessna C340, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

It was believed to beryllium a backstage craft flying from Yuma, Arizona, to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport successful San Diego, Matsushita said. It was chartless however galore were connected board, but Mastushita said nary 1 would person survived.

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The clang happened astir 3 blocks from Santana High School, which said connected Twitter that “all students are secure.”

The clang tract is simply a fewer miles northbound of Gillespie Field, a tiny San Diego County airport.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board volition investigate.

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Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat successful San Diego and Christopher Weber successful Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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