SAN DIEGO — A small plane crashed into a neighborhood in San Diego, catching about a dozen homes on fire.

A Cessna 550 crashed early Thursday morning and forced the evacuation of homes across several blocks, The Associated Press reported.

2 confirmed dead

Update 2:04 p.m. ET, May 22: At least two people were killed in the crash and eight people were hurt.

About 10 buildings were damaged.

Lt. Travis Easter of the San Diego Police confirmed the numbers that the police posted on social media.

Assistant Chief Dan Eddy said the number of injuries could change as the day goes on.

Eddy said during an afternoon news conference that once emergency responders got on the scene of the crash, they first cleared the homes that were on fire, then worked on putting out the fires that were engulfing cars, and finally, they did a secondary search.

Roads in the area are still closed

Capt. Robert Healy, Commanding Officer of Naval Base San Diego, said the Navy is working with the military families to provide to them with what services they need.

Healy said the area where the plane crashed will be down for some time. Liberty Military Housing is providing the military families with the latest updates.

The crash happened at military housing but in the San Diego jurisdiction, Healy said.

San Diego Councilman Raul Campillo said dozens of military families were affected by the crash.

One house was destroyed, Eddy said, and several others were damaged, but he did not say how severely the homes were damaged and that will be determined after the NTSB conducts its investigation.

Eddy said that there were clipped powerlines on the path of the plane, but they have to determine if that was the cause of the crash.

Police: Five family members hospitalized

Update 1:46 p.m. ET, May 22: Officials are releasing more information about injuries sustained by the people who were in the homes damaged in the plane crash, the AP reported.

San Diego police officer Anthony Carrasco said that five people from one family were hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

Another person was injured while climbing out of a window.

Two others had minor injuries that were treated at the scene.

6 people on plane according to manifest

Update 1:35 p.m. ET, May 22: Assistant Chief Dan Eddy told CNN that the plane’s manifest had six people listed. He said officials were trying to confirm that number. Eddy also said they have not confirmed the names of those on the plane.

He said that there was a slope that allowed the plane’s fuel to flow, sparking car fires in the neighborhoods.

One hospitalized, two treated

Update 12:37 p.m. ET, May 22: The San Diego police department said one person has been hospitalized and two others were treated and released, CNN reported.

Largest military housing neighborhood

Update 12:29 p.m. ET, May 22: The neighborhood where the plane crashed was, according to the AP, the U.S. military’s largest housing neighborhood.

At least 100 residents were evacuated to a nearby elementary school.

One man said he and his wife were awakened by a loud bang and saw smoke outside his house. He said they grabbed his three young sons and ran from their house.

“It was definitely horrifying for sure, but sometimes you’ve just got to drop your head and get to safety,” Christopher Moore said.

Pets were also being evacuated from homes. Three husky puppies were loaded into a wagon and were taken from the scene of the crash by police, the AP reported.

At least one home had a charred and collapsed roof. The number of homes that were damaged now stands at about 10. Earlier, the number was as high as 15.

The stop the plane made in Wichita was a refueling stop, officials at the Colonel James Jabara Airport said.

FAA statement

Update 11:08 a.m. ET, May 22: The FAA released a statement, according to KSWB. The statement reads: “A Cessna 550 crashed near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in California, around 3:45 a.m. local time on Thursday, May 22. The number of people on board is unknown at this time. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NSTB will lead the investigation and provide any updates.“

‘Pretty horrific’

Update 11:03 a.m. ET, May 22: San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said, “I can’t quite put words to describe what this scene looked like with the jet fuel running down the streets and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see.”

‘Took out every single car’

Update 10:49 a.m. ET, May 22: The Associated Press reported that several people on board the plane died. No one on the ground was injured, officials said.

“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,” Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy said of the damage left behind. “You can see that every single car was burning down both sides of the street.”

Earlier, Eddy said, “there is a direct hit to multiple homes.”

Flight took off from Teterboro Airport

Update 10:46 a.m. ET, May 22: CNN reported the plane was a business jet that crashed. It was a Cessna 550 plane, also known as a Citation, which took off from Teterboro Airport outside of New York City late Wednesday.

The plane stopped for about an hour in Wichita, Kansas, before flying to San Diego, according to FlightAware.

It was supposed to land at runway 28 at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, according to a recording of the pilot shared on LiveATC.net.

No emergency was declared and there were no signs of a problem at the time of the crash.

No air traffic control personnel are staffing the overnight hours at the airport’s control tower so pilots announce their plans to other pilots on the “common traffic advisory frequency,” CNN said.

The plane is owned by an Alaska company and was built in 1985, according to the FAA and CNN.

HAZMAT situation

Update 10:34 a.m. ET, May 22: Local fire and police officials gave an update hours after the crash, saying that the fires at all of the homes have been put out, as have the fires that burned vehicles. Fire officials said there was one vehicle that was on fire and they’re having difficulty putting the flames completely out.

An evacuation center was set up at a local school.

Earlier in the day, the San Francisco Fire Department said the area was a HAZMAT situation due to the plane leaking fuel.

The neighborhood is near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and many military service members live there, the AP reported.

Original report: The crash happened before 4 a.m. local time, KFMB reported. Officials said it was foggy at the time.

It is not known if there were any injuries in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood.

“We have jet fuel all over the place,” Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy told reporters. “Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now.”

Eddy said, “there is a direct hit to multiple homes,” and that there was “a gigantic debris field.”

It is also not known how many people were on board the aircraft, which can hold six to eight people, the AP reported.

Officials have not said why the plane crashed, KSWB reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, the AP reported.

Check back for more on this developing story.

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