At least two people were confirmed dead after a plane crashed in a neighborhood near Santana High School in Santee Monday afternoon, causing a fire that engulfed at least two homes.
At around 12:30 p.m., authorities began receiving reports of a plane down in a neighborhood on Greencastle Street, near Jeremy Street. According to the FAA, the plane was a twin-engine Cessna C340 and crashed at about 12:15 p.m. The FAA added, "We do not yet know how many people were on board."
The plane was owned by Dr. Sugata Das, according to the Yuma Regional Medical Center, however, there's no confirmation whether Das was the pilot at the time of the crash.
“We are deeply sad to hear news of a plane owned by local cardiologist Dr. Sugata Das which crashed near Santee,” said Dr. Bharat Magu. Chief Medical Officer at YRMC. “As an outstanding cardiologist and dedicated family man Dr. Das leaves a lasting legacy. We extend our prayers and support to his family, colleagues and friends during this difficult time."
UPS confirmed that one of its employees was killed during the plane crash. In a statement, the UPS said:
We are heartbroken by the loss of our employee, and extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. We also send our condolences for the other individuals who are involved in this incident, and their families and friends.
We are cooperating with the responding authorities in their investigation, and we are respectfully deferring questions to the investigating authorities.
The crash appeared to have sparked a fire that burned at least two homes and several vehicles, but responding firefighters were able to put out the blaze before it spread to other houses.
