One of the country’s largest military housing communities was shaken early Thursday morning when a small private plane crashed in the area, killing three people and injuring some residents on the ground.

Although local officials initially said that two on board the plane were killed, The Associated Press later quoted the Sound Talent Group, a music agency, which said three of its employees, all on board the plane, were killed. The National Transportation Safety Board now says the number of fatalities is unknown, per the AP.

The crash damaged or set fire to several cars and more than 10 homes in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood.

Capt. Robert Healy, the commander of Naval Base San Diego, told the San Diego Union-Tribune the “foremost concern right now is to make sure that we have the safety of our families who reside in the neighborhood.”

There did not appear to be fatalities among residents on the ground, though some were injured. The Associated Press quoted a San Diego police officer to report that six people were hospitalized: five from a single family for smoke inhalation and one person from injuries relating to climbing out of a window in an attempt to flee.

“When it hit the street, as the jet fuel went down, it took out every single car that was on both sides of the street,” said San Diego Fire-Rescue Department official Dan Eddy. “You can see that every single car was burning down both sides of the street.”

Eddy said that the fires were mostly doused within hours. Oil spills were visible throughout the impacted streets.

Approximately 100 residents were evacuated to a nearby elementary school.

Residents helped each other evacuate.

Gilbert Gonzalez, a Navy damage controlman for the USS Essex, said that he and others helped one family exit their home and that he personally helped carry small children and the family’s dogs to safety.

Lisa Monroe said she and her husband helped gather food and water for people, while Esther Hoffman said workers from Liberty Military Housing, which manages the affected properties and others like them across the country, were passing out food and donuts to evacuees.

The CEO of Liberty Military Housing estimated 40 to 50 families would be displaced as the incident is investigated, of which 15 to 20 may need to be rehoused.

The Murphy Canyon housing complex has over 4,900 homes for military families, according to Naval Base San Diego. It is north of downtown San Diego, located between Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and Naval Base San Diego.

It was not immediately clear how many people were on the plane, a Cessna Citation II, which can hold eight to 10 people.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

©2025 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

previous coverage

• A music talent agency says 3 employees died on plane that crashed into San Diego military housing neighborhood