Marines investigating military jet crash in California neighborhood

Reporting from San Diego —  Marines are using heavy equipment to clear the debris and wreckage caused when a military jet crashed into an Imperial Valley neighborhood the day earlier, the Marine Corps said Thursday.

Two homes were destroyed and a third heavily damaged but none of the residents suffered major injuries. The pilot ejected and has been treated and released from a local hospital for minor injuries.

Eight homes were evacuated in the minutes after the crash occurred in the city of Imperial at about 4:20 p.m. Residents at five of the homes were later allowed to return.

While the plane was not carrying ordnance, jet fuel and components are considered hazardous and the Marine Corps has a team of specialists conducting cleanup, Marine officials said.

The AV-8B Harrier was based at the Marine Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing with headquarters at Marine Air Station Miramar in San Diego.

Residents said the crash sounded and felt like a gigantic earthquake.

Paul Aceves said he ran toward one of the homes that was burning to help residents escape.

“I get there and there’s pieces of plane and the home was burning,” Aceves told the Imperial Valley Press. “I have a family too. I said a prayer, ‘Lord, let me help these people.’”

Andy Bernal, whose home was two blocks away, told the newspaper: “Everyone was just scared. A lot of kids were crying. There was fire and black smoke everywhere, little bits of debris burning.”

The Marine Corps tweeted out a promise to residents that “we will work with those affected and will conduct a thorough investigation.”

Hours later, at 10 p.m., a Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet crashed while attempting a landing aboard the carrier Carl Vinson off the Southern California coast. The pilot ejected and was rescued.

The plane was not recovered, Navy officials said. The cause of the crash is under investigation. That plane, from a squadron at Oceana, Va., was on a pre-deployment training mission.