Residents of the Bayside Waters Mobile Home Park in Clearwater, Fla., were jolted by a loud noise Thursday evening to find a chaotic scene filled with smoke and fire.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration the wreckage was that of a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35 that crashed into the park at around 7 p.m. ET. Before the plane went down, the pilot – who was the only person on board – reported an engine failure.
“The FAA and [National Transportation Safety Board] will investigate,” said the FAA. “The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide any updates.”
A preliminary report from the FAA said that the aircraft crashed under “unknown circumstances” into the residential area. In addition to the pilot, two more individuals were found deceased inside a mobile home after the crash, said Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department in a Facebook post.
“Identification of those victims, along with cause of death, will be up to the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner’s Office,” said the post. “As many as nine people had been inside the mobile home on Pagoda Drive shortly before the plane crash, but all but two had left the residence.”
It also said the plane took off from Vero Beach earlier in the day on Thursday.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that the home was a double-wide trailer that belonged to the family of 63-year-old Mary Fagan. Other nearby homes also caught fire and emergency personnel were at the scene overnight.
Steven Ascari, who lives in an apartment complex just south of Bayside Waters, according to The Tampa Bay Times, said he could hear a “super loud explosion” from his second-story apartment around 7:15 p.m.
“Next thing, a pillar of smoke, huge fire. Fires everywhere,” Ascari, 25, told the outlet. “The fire was probably only getting bigger as we were getting outside.”
Per the Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department, the scene at Bayside Waters will be maintained through Saturday, when the wreckage is expected to be removed by the National Transportation Safety Board. Identities of the victims will be released after relatives have been notified, it said Friday.
“Our thoughts are with the three victims and their families; this tragedy could have been even worse,” said Police Chief Eric Gandy.