Small plane crashes into Florida mobile home park sparking major fire, ‘several’ fatalities reported

Several people are dead after a plane crashed into a mobile home park in Clearwater, Florida, on Thursday evening, according to the Clearwater Fire and Rescue Department.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed to FOX 13 Tampa Bay that a Beechcraft Bonanza V35 crashed into the Bayside Waters mobile home park, formerly known as Japanese Gardens, on U.S. 19 south of the Clearwater Mall. The call came in at 7:08 p.m., officials said. 

During a news conference Thursday evening, Clearwater Fire Chief Scott Ehlers said the plane hit one mobile home, which caused the fire to spread to three other homes. He said three structures “definitely” have fire damage while one has possible fire damage.

Ehlers said the aircraft was found within one of the structures, and he can confirm that there are “several fatalities” from the aircraft and within the mobile home it crashed into.

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FAA officials confirmed to the outlet that the pilot had reported an engine failure. 

“We’re on scene of a small plane crash at a mobile home park south of Clearwater Mall. Multiple mobile homes have caught fire. Firefighters from multiple jurisdictions are on scene,” fire officials wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Video from the scene shows a massive fireball erupting from the park. 

Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire, Ehlers said. 

Ehlers said it is unclear how many people have been injured on the ground or how many people were on board the plane.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.