A small plane crashed Thursday night into a mobile home park in Clearwater, Florida, claiming several lives and sparking a devastating fire that damaged multiple homes.
The crash occurred at 7:08 p.m. in Bayside Estates, a sprawling mobile home park, according to Clearwater Fire & Rescue Chief Scott Ehlers. The authorities have not yet provided specific details regarding the passenger count.
'Several Fatalities' Confirmed
The first responders, including firefighters and police, rushed to the scene around 7:15 p.m. local time after receiving reports of the crash. Upon arrival, they found four trailer homes engulfed in flames, one of which harbored the wreckage of the crashed plane.
"I can confirm that we have several fatalities both from the aircraft and within the mobile home," Ehlers stated, without specifying the exact number of casualties. "We're still working to make sure that there is no additional, and it's limited to what we do know right now."
The single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35 crashed predominantly into one mobile home, causing extensive damage.
Firefighters worked tirelessly to control the blaze, and while the aircraft was concentrated in one structure, the fire spread, and three other homes were heavily involved, according to Ehlers.
"We're on scene of a small plane crash at a mobile home park south of Clearwater Mall. Multiple mobile homes have caught fire. Firefighters from multiple jurisdictions are on scene," Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Residents from the nearby mobile homes were safe and evacuated from the vicinity.
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Reported Engine Trouble Prior to Crashing
Before the crash, the pilot had reported engine trouble to air traffic controllers at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport. Ehlers stated that radar contact was lost about three miles north of the runway during the conversation with the air tower.
"The (airport) tower ... was able to get radio transmission from the pilot that he was having a 'mayday, mayday mayday,' and the aircraft went off the radar about 3 miles north of the runway," Ehlers explained.
Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy announced that the incident was being treated as a serious traffic homicide crash.
Police officers were present at the scene to secure and preserve it for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigation. Both agencies confirmed that they will investigate the crash.
Clearwater, with over 110,000 residents, lies about 23 miles west of Tampa on Florida's central west coast.
