Two people were killed and more than a dozen others injured after a small plane crashed into a Southern California furniture manufacturing building on Thursday, Jan. 2.
The crash was reported in the 2300 block of Raymer Ave in Fullerton, Calif., approximately 6 miles northwest of Disneyland.
The Fullerton Police Department confirmed multiple fatalities and injuries after the aircraft smashed through the building’s roof and ignited a fire.
“There are two confirmed fatalities, ten individuals were transported to area hospitals for treatment and eight individuals were treated and released on scene. The investigation is [ongoing],” the department said in a statement on X.
In a later statement, Fullerton police said 19 individuals, who were all working in the building at the time of the crash, were injured. Eleven were taken to hospitals for treatment and eight were treated at the scene.
AP Photo/Kyusung Gong
The two people who died are “believed to have been in the aircraft at the time of the crash,” police said. The Orange County Coroner’s Office will release their identities after their family is notified.
Fullerton police spokesperson Kristy Wells told the Associated Press. Wells added that nearby businesses were evacuated.
The plane was a single-engine, four-seat Van’s RV-10, the Federal Aviation Administration said, per the AP.
The plane was on its way back to the airport when it struck the building, ABC7 reports. The aircraft took off at 2:07 p.m. and crashed about two minutes later, per ABC7, citing aircraft-tracking website FlightAware.
Chris Cristi, a helicopter reporter with Los Angeles’ KABC-TV, shared aerial footage on X of the crash.
“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,” he tweeted at 2:51 p.m. local time.
The video showed a large hole in the center of the roof in one of the buildings as gray smoke poured out. Fire trucks and other vehicles could also be seen surrounding the crash site.
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The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, per ABC7.
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