Small plane crashes into U.S. residential area, sparking house fires

A small plane crashed into a house in Colonia, U.S. state of New Jersey, on Tuesday, setting fire to it and two others, authorities said.

In a statement on Twitter, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified the plane as a Cessna 414, a twin-engine, eight-seat transport aircraft, and said that the crash occurred at around 11 a.m. local time.

Mayor of Woodbridge Township John McCormac told reporters that there was only a pilot on board the plane and that his condition remains unclear.

McCormac said authorities do not believe any civilians on the ground were impacted or injured by the crash.

Nobody was in the house when the plane hit, McCormac told Xinhua. The house was on fire and completely destroyed and two other houses nearby also caught fire. One person was in one of the houses but managed to escape.

The mayor also said the fires had been brought under control and firefighters are searching for hotspots and "then they will get out and try to get to the plane and see what they can do."

He added he cannot say for sure what had caused the crash but pointed out that "weather probably had something to do with it."

A resident who identified herself as Amanda told Xinhua that the crash sounded like "a huge explosion."

"My father-in-law who was inside at the time said it sounded like a plane going at full throttle right before the crash and that it shook the house so badly he thought it had hit our house," she said.

The FAA is en route to the scene to begin an investigation and the National Transportation Safety Board will also investigate and determine probable cause of the incident, according to the statement.

The area is reportedly a heavy residential area with tree-lined streets.

Colonia, a community located within Woodbridge Township, is about 50 km southwest of downtown New York City.