Small plane crashes into San Diego neighbourhood setting 15 houses on fire

The private jet crashed in the dark of night

The accident occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning, colliding with a populated neighbourhood causing multiple households to set alight.

The crash was caught on multiple door bell cameras and was confirmed by police to have hit the ground at around 3:47am local time.

San Diego police department issued a statement on the matter.

It said: "We’re responding to a plane crash in the area of Sculpin Street and Santo Road. Please avoid the area to allow emergency crews to work safely,” said the San Diego police department in a statement. “More information will be shared as it becomes available.”

Multiple roads have been closed and diversions put in place, however, there are currently no reports on potential victims.

Assistant fire department chief Dan Eddy told reporters: "We have jet fuel all over the place.

"Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now."

Eddy said "there is a direct hit to multiple homes" in the area and described "a gigantic debris field."

He added that the conditions were very foggy at the time the private plane crashed and that "you could barely see in front of you."

It is unknown whether this was a contributing factor in the accident.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported a Cessna 550 aircraft crashed near the Montgomery-Gibbs executive airport, with an unknown number of people on board.

The crash is being investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The FAA said that "the number of people on board is unknown at this time."

The Cessna 550 is a large small jet often used as private jet.

It can carry up to eight passengers as well as two pilots.