2 dead, 19 injured after small plane crashed into California building rooftop, police say
SAN DIEGO — Two people are dead and 19 others were injured after a small plane crashed into a building rooftop in Southern California on Thursday, authorities said.
Fullerton police and fire personnel responded to reports of an "unknown plane" that crashed into the roof of a commercial building shortly after 2 p.m. local time, Fullerton Police Department spokesperson Kristy Wells told Paste BN. The incident, which remains under investigation, occurred about half a mile from the Fullerton Municipal Airport.
19 people who were working inside the building during the time of the plane crash were injured, authorities confirmed. Eleven people were transported to area hospitals for treatment and eight others were treated and released on scene.
The identities of the people killed, both of whom are believed to have been in the aircraft at the time of the crash, will be released by the Orange County Coroner’s Office pending next of kin notifications, police said.
After arriving at the scene, police and fire personnel immediately began evacuating the surrounding business area due to an active fire. Local television footage and images showed plumes of smoke rising out of the building.
The crash resulted in a 4-alarm fire and a massive response from firefighters and police, who were dispatched to the area, officials told ABC 7. U.S. Rep. Lou Correa, who represents parts of Orange County, said in a statement on X that the plane crashed into a furniture manufacturing building.
The Federal Aviation Administration told Paste BN that the aircraft was a single-engine Van’s RV-10.
"The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate," the agency said. "The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation."
Fullerton is located about 30 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
In a statement released Thursday on behalf of Fullerton City Council, Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung thanked first responders and praised the community's resiliency.
"As we come together in the wake of this tragedy, the City of Fullerton is committed to providing support for all those affected and working with the agencies involved to uncover the details of this incident," Jung said in a released statement on Facebook. "We are grateful for the strength of our community and the compassion we show one another in times of crisis. Together, we will move forward with resolve, care, and unity."
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Contributing: Charles Ventura, Paste BN
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.