A small plane crashed into a commercial building in Fullerton on Thursday afternoon, killing two people and injuring 18 others, authorities said.
The crash occurred at approximately 2:09 p.m. when a small aircraft crashed through the roof of a warehouse building in the Orange County city, as reported by AP News.
Police and fire officials responded quickly to the scene, where they battled a fire ignited by the crash and evacuated nearby businesses.
The warehouse, which housed Michael Nicholas Designs, a furniture upholstery manufacturer, was severely damaged in the incident. The building appeared to contain sewing machines and textile stock. According to Fullerton Police Spokesperson Kristy Wells, ten people were transported to local hospitals, while eight others were treated at the scene. Sadly, two people were confirmed dead.
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🚨BREAKING: A plane has crashed into a warehouse near Fullerton Airport in California. Casualties reported, and the fire department is on a 4-alarm response.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 2, 2025
Whether the victims were on the aircraft or on the ground at the time of the crash remains unclear. Authorities have not yet confirmed the type of plane involved in the incident.
According to flight-tracking data from FlightAware, the aircraft was a four-seat, single-engine plane that had just taken off from Fullerton Municipal Airport. The plane crashed roughly one minute after taking off, spiraling into the building. Security camera footage from a nearby business, Rucci Forge, captured the moment of impact, showing a fiery explosion followed by a large plume of black smoke.
The Fullerton Municipal Airport, located about six miles from Disneyland, is a general aviation airport with a single runway and heliport. The crash site is situated near commercial warehouses, residential neighborhoods, and the Metrolink regional train line.
Local officials have yet to release details about the cause of the crash, but the investigation is ongoing. This incident comes just over a month after a similar crash in the area, when another small plane made an emergency landing in a tree shortly after takeoff, injuring both occupants on board.
Fullerton, a city of about 140,000 people, is located about 25 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Plane crashes in recent times have increased, including South Korea’s deadliest, the Jeju Air plane crash.
