On Thursday evening, a tragic incident unfolded as a small plane crashed into a mobile home park in Clearwater, Florida, resulting in the loss of several lives, according to authorities.
City Fire Chief Scott Ehlers reported that firefighters were dispatched to the crash site at the Bayside Waters mobile home park at approximately 7:15 pm local time.
During a subsequent news briefing, Chief Ehlers conveyed that upon arrival, they encountered four trailer homes ablaze, one of which contained the wreckage of the crashed plane.
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Chief Ehlers later confirmed the occurrence of multiple fatalities, both from the aircraft and within the mobile home; however, he refrained from providing an exact count of the casualties.
As of Thursday night, the number of individuals aboard the plane remained unknown.
Plane in Single Mobile Home, Hotspot Control Ongoing
The fire chief mentioned on Thursday that the plane was primarily located within one mobile home, and efforts were ongoing to control lingering hotspots and access the remains of the deceased, as stated by Chief Ehlers.
A Clearwater resident, Steven Ascari, reported that on Thursday evening, he heard a noise resembling an explosion, causing vibrations throughout his entire apartment.
“Next thing you know, a substantial column of smoke became visible,” he conveyed in a message.
Chief Ehlers Details Fire and Plane Issues
On Thursday, authorities received simultaneous reports of a fire at the mobile home park and an emergency involving a plane at an airport, according to Chief Ehlers.
The aircraft, identified as a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35, experienced engine failure, leading the pilot to report the emergency.
Subsequently, the plane disappeared from radar approximately 3 miles north of a runway, coinciding with the location of the mobile home park.
Tragically, the Beechcraft Bonanza V35 crashed into the residential area. This information was provided by a spokesperson from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The fire chief reported on Thursday night that the additional mobile homes engulfed in flames have been evacuated, and fortunately, no casualties were found in those areas.
Chief Eric Gandy of the Clearwater Police, who also responded to the mobile home park, emphasized their commitment to securing and preserving the incident site.
He conveyed during the news briefing that the occurrence is being treated as a severe traffic homicide crash.