Two killed after plane crashes into trailer park in Colorado
Two people have died after a plane crashed into a home in northern Colorado, sparking a raging fire which engulfed two properties at the scene. The pilot and a passenger died when their Cessna 421 aircraft went down at West Acres Mobile Park Monday afternoon, Steamboat Springs Police Department said.
Two trailers were 'engulfed' by flames in the fireball crash but the residents have since been accounted for, Routt County Sheriff's Office added. 'The Routt County Coroner is notifying next of kin. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the deceased,' Steamboat Springs PD said.
'West Acres Mobile Park is open to residents only. We ask that people be respectful and stay away from the incident site as the investigation remains underway. Fire Rescue and Police will be on the scene throughout the evening and overnight,' they explained.
Routt County Sheriff's Office described the plane as a Cessna 421 light aircraft - a six or seven seater twin-engine plane. The plane is believed to have launched from Longmont, Colorado, and was on its way to Ogden, Utah, when it plummeted to the ground at around 4.30pm, Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue said.
The names of the victims were not immediately released. Dramatic photographs show trailers ablaze as dozens of emergency responders rush to extinguish the raging fire.
The city said 10 firefighters and off-duty responders worked to put out the fire at two homes and several outbuildings. Images taken later in the day show smoke rising from the mobile homes, two of which have been left as blackened carcasses.
One woman said her mother-in-law's home was destroyed in the crash. 'We are speechless and devastated,' she wrote on social media. She added that no-one lived in the home and they had been trying to sell it.
The cause of the crash has not yet been established, but witnesses reported the airplane appeared to have mechanical issues, fire officials said. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.
West Acres Mobile Home Park contains just under 100 trailers which sit on the west side of picturesque Steamboat Springs, a city in Yampa Valley. It’s home to the Howelsen Hill ski area and the Steamboat ski resort.
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