- A single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35 plane crashed into a mobile home park in Clearwater, Florida on Thursday evening
- Several people have died, but a final toll has not yet been determined
- Firefighters on scene found four mobile homes on fire, one of which contained the crashed aircraft
Several people were killed Thursday evening after a small plane crashed at a mobile home park in Clearwater, Florida.
Firefighters were called to the burning crash site at Bayside Waters mobile home park, about 37 miles west of Tampa, around 7:15 p.m. local time.
First responders found four trailer homes on fire, one of which contained the crashed plane, Fire Chief Scott Ehlers said during a news briefing Thursday evening.
“I can confirm that we have several fatalities both from the plane and in the mobile home,” Ehlers said, but could not provide an exact number of casualties.
Several people have been killed after a small plane crashed at a mobile home park in Clearwater, Florida
Firefighters were called to the burning crash site at the Bayside Waters mobile home park
It is not yet clear how many people were aboard the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35 aircraft itself.
The pilot reported an engine failure and disappeared about three miles north of an airport runway, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman said. told CNN .
Clearwater police visited the crash site and worked to secure and preserve the crash site, Chief Eric Gandy said during the briefing.
“We will go through that scene as the night progresses to further clarify what we have and secure that scene for the arrival of NTSB and FAA later this evening,” he said.
Clearwater resident Steven Ascari told the broadcaster he heard what sounded like an explosion that shook his entire apartment.
First responders found four trailer homes on fire, one of which contained the crashed plane, city Fire Chief Scott Ehlers (pictured) said during a news briefing Thursday evening
Clearwater Police attended the crash site and did their best to secure and preserve the accident scene
It is not yet clear how many people were aboard the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35 aircraft itself
“And before you knew it, a giant column of smoke was seen,” he recalled.
Footage from the scene showed plumes of red smoke billowing from several mobile homes as shocked residents waited in a nearby car park.
Other videos posted on social media show firefighters struggling to battle the blaze with hoses as flames engulf homes and surrounding trees.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.