CLEARWATER, Fla. — Three people died after a small plane crashed into a mobile home park Thursday evening in Clearwater, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a preliminary report.
The plane's pilot and two people inside a mobile home at the Bayside Waters mobile home community were killed. As many as nine people had been inside the mobile home that was directly hit, but all but two had left before the crash, according to the Clearwater Police Department.
"Our thoughts are with the three victims and their families; this tragedy could have been even worse," Police Chief Eric Gandy said.
Clearwater Fire Chief Scott Ehlers first confirmed that there were multiple fatalities Thursday evening after the plane crashed, igniting several homes.
The plane's pilot called "mayday, mayday, mayday," before coming down, Ehlers said during a news conference. "They were in contact with Tampa approach and having issues."
According to police, the plane had taken off from Vero Beach earlier in the day.
Multiple crews, including police, fire and medical, were dispatched just after 7 p.m. to the community located off U.S. Highway 19 and just south of Gulf to Bay Boulevard.
One person received some sort of injury after the crash and refused treatment.
A total of four homes were damaged, Ehlers said.
"When I walked out and saw it, I thought, 'Oh my goodness, that house is totally involved [in flames].' There's no way I could get close to it," said neighbor Marvin Shepherd, who said he's been in fire protection for 35 years. "Cars were pulling up to look; I got them off the streets, so the fire trucks when they arrived could get down the street. I did some things like that to help out.
"It's sad, and I'm praying for the people that were involved," he said.
Frances Yont said she could feel the heat from the fire as she ran out of her house located across the street from the crash.
"Everything was popping like propane tanks," she said. "We couldn't do anything ... it was horrible."
Chris Albright lives next door to the mobile home community at Cortland Bayside.
"It felt like the sound was kind of vibrating the apartment ... it was crazy," he said.
Laketa Collins told 10 Tampa Bay she was pumping gas at the nearby Costco when she saw a white light, appearing to fall "like a shooting star," she said.
"I noticed as it was coming down, it was just a solid white ball, just coming down, it didn't dim or nothing," Collins continued.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are on scene to conduct an investigation.