Witnesses recount seeing fire, debris outside their homes after deadly San Diego plane crash

SAN DIEGO (KABC) -- San Diego residents who were awakened from their sleep by an incredible explosion and fire everywhere following a deadly plane crash Thursday morning are speaking out.

San Diego Fire Department investigators said they don't believe anyone onboard the plane survived the crash.

The crash happened in the middle of the night on a residential street in the quiet San Diego neighborhood of Murphy Canyon, the largest neighborhood of Navy-owned housing in the country.

"I woke up and I looked out the window and there's fire all in front of my house," said Jessica Schrader. "The gate goes right into the front yard, and there was a dead pilot in my front yard."

The home that was struck was destroyed, with its front heavily burned and its roof partially collapsed, and about 10 others were damaged, officials said.

Ben McCarty and his wife, who live in the home that was hit, said they felt heat all around them.

"My wife was screaming, and she's like, 'There's a fire,'" said McCarty, who has served in the Navy for 13 years.

When he walked toward the front of the house, he saw that the roof had fallen off and flames blocked their exit. They grabbed their children and dogs and ran to the back, where their neighbors helped them climb over the fence to escape.

The plane also hit both of the couple's vehicles, which burned.

"It put my truck into our living room," McCarty said.

Panic took over the neighborhood, not only because they had no idea what was happening, but also because they did not know how they were going to escape.

"I'm trying to figure out how to escape with my kids, and I'm like lets go and I'm calling the police, and I'm gathering everyone up and we couldn't get out," said one of the residents.

Other vehicles along the block were melted and scorched into burned shells. One stubborn car fire sent smoke billowing up for hours.

Ariya Waterworth said she woke up to a "whooshing sound" and then saw a giant fireball outside. She screamed for help as firefighters arrived and helped her get out with her two children and their family dog.

One of the family's cars was "completely disintegrated," and the other had extensive damage. Her yard was littered with plane parts, broken glass and debris.

"I definitely do feel blessed, because we've been spared," she said.

At least 100 residents were evacuated. Hours after the crash, jet fuel rolled down Salmon Street. The smell of fumes lingered throughout the day, and officials said it was unclear when it would be safe for people to return.

Eventually, these neighbors, many of them service members stationed at a nearby military base, sprung into action and helped everyone get out safely.

"I ran, grabbed the ladder, came back, threw the ladder over the fence and started to assist getting the wife out."

Tamon Wilks, a service member, told Eyewitness News that as bad as it looked, the pilot did what he could to avoid an even bigger tragedy.

"He saw something was going wrong, and he tried to mitigate the loss as best he could," said Wilks.

Schrader said she was grateful they made it out safely.

"We all got out safe, and my dogs are safe, so thank god," she said.

The investigation into what caused the deadly plane crash is ongoing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.