CLEARWATER, FL – A small aircraft ignited a blaze Thursday evening after it crashed into a mobile home park in Clearwater, Florida, according to local fire officials. The fire rapidly spread, engulfing several mobile homes in the vicinity.
Firefighters were alerted to the incident at 19:08 local time and promptly arrived at the scene. Clearwater Fire Chief Scott Ehlers shared during a press briefing that the call coincided with the airport’s report of an aircraft in distress.
Before vanishing from the radar, air traffic controllers received a mayday distress signal from the pilot. The crash site, located in the Bayside Waters mobile home park, was littered with debris scattered across the street.
Four mobile homes were significantly affected by the incident, with one being directly hit by the plane, according to Chief Ehlers. Despite the severity of the crash, firefighters were able to quickly douse the flames.
Fortunately, no victims were found in three of the homes that were searched, Ehlers reported. He added that residents were inside their homes at the time of the crash but managed to escape unharmed. Investigators are yet to approach the trailer directly hit by the plane.
The pilot is presumed to have perished in the crash, Ehlers revealed. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that the aircraft was a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35, which had reported engine failure moments before the crash. The number of passengers on board remains unknown.
The FAA, in conjunction with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), will conduct an investigation into the crash.