2 People and Dog Killed in Simi Valley Plane Crash That Ignited Fires in Residential Neighborhood [Video]

A tragic plane crash claimed the lives of two people and a dog Saturday when a small aircraft went down in a Los Angeles-area neighborhood.

Video

At 1:51 p.m., around 40 firefighters rushed to the Wood Ranch community of Simi Valley after reports that a plane had struck two homes, sending up visible smoke. The Simi Valley Police Department alerted the public at 2:40 p.m. to avoid the area near High Meadow Street, as emergency crews responded.

“A Vans RV-10 crashed near High Meadow Street and Wood Ranch Parkway in Simi Valley, California, around 2:10 p.m. local time on Saturday, May 3,” said the FAA. “The plane departed from William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster and was heading to Camarillo Airport. The FAA and NTSB will investigate.”

According to KNN, a nearby homeowner had just stepped away after spotting the plane flying erratically. “He went to tell his wife about it, and the plane plummeted and slammed into the exact location where he was trimming vegetation,” the outlet reported. “The man narrowly escaped death when the plane hit and his home erupted in flames.”

Initially, the Ventura County Fire Department reported one fatality. By 8 p.m., they confirmed both the pilot and a passenger were killed, along with a dog.

Officials said the crash sparked fires that spread to two homes, both occupied at the time. The residents escaped without injury, but the structures suffered significant damage.

The victims’ identities have not yet been released. Investigators expect to take weeks for preliminary findings.