Light plane crashes into warehouse in California (VIDEO)

The incident in the city of Fullerton has left two people dead and 19 injured, local police have reported

A light single-engine aircraft has plummeted into a furniture warehouse in the city of Fullerton, California, triggering a fire and a subsequent evacuation, local authorities have reported. Two people, both believed to be the occupants of the ill-fated plane, have been confirmed dead, with a further 19 sustaining injuries.

In a press release on Thursday, the Fullerton Police Department said that the fatal incident happened at around 2pm local time near the city airport. Upon arrival at the scene, emergency services discovered an “active fire,” which prompted them to evacuate nearby businesses.

One person is dead and 18 others injured after a small plane crashed into a warehouse near #Fullerton Airport today. Security camera footage captured the crash and fireball that followed. @michelegiletv @kcalnews pic.twitter.com/ycUK7soLKT

— John Schreiber (@johnschreiber) January 3, 2025

“A Vans RV-10 experimental aircraft was located inside the commercial building engulfed in flames,” the authorities said.

According to the statement, “there are two confirmed fatalities, both of whom are believed to have been in the aircraft at the time of the crash.” Their identities have not been made public pending notification of their relatives.   

BREAKING: A small plane has crashed into a commercial warehouse near Fullerton Airport, along Raymer Ave. There are reported casualties, firefighters battling a 4 alarm fire pic.twitter.com/8XGgfBaLTL

— Chris Cristi (@abc7chriscristi) January 2, 2025

Security camera footage circulating on social media captured the moment the plane dove into the building, bursting into a fireball immediately on impact. The blaze that ensued sent plumes of black smoke into the air that were visible for miles around.

California’s ABC7 KABC broadcaster quoted an eyewitness who was inside the warehouse at the time as describing terrified people running for their lives as the flames spread through the building.

Experts from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were called in to conduct an investigation at the site of the crash.

The NTSB’s Eliot Simpson told ABC7 KABC that the aircraft was a kit-built plane assembled in 2011. He added that the transportation watchdog’s preliminary findings could be expected within two weeks, with a more in-depth report likely to take a year or more.

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According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, the RV-10 crashed a mere two minutes after takeoff.

Simpson stated that the plane had climbed to approximately 270 meters (900 feet) before the pilot “called for an immediate return to the airport.”

On its website, Van’s Aircraft, Inc., the manufacturer of the RV-10, touts the homebuilt model sold in kit, as a “viable alternative to four-seat production airplanes.”