Neighborhood full of heroes steps into action after San Diego plane crash

Witness describes San Diego plane crash

A member of the military describes what it felt like on the ground after a small plane crashed in San Diego's Murphy Canyon neighborhood.

SAN DIEGO (KTTV) - An investigation continues and at least 100 residents were evacuated after a small plane from the Midwest crashed into a neighborhood that houses military families early Thursday morning. 

RELATED: San Diego plane crash: Multiple fatalities after aircraft crashes in military housing development

Amid the chaos, members of the U.S. military are being praised for their heroic efforts. 

‘This is our community’ 

What they're saying:

Chief Damage Controlman Gilbert Gonzalez with the U.S. Navy described what he experienced that tragic morning to FOX 11’s Gigi Graciette. 

"We were all sleeping. We heard this loud boom, house shook, initially not knowing what was going on," he recalled. He then looked outside his window and saw fire embers. 

He then ran out of the house and saw what he described as a "fireball" on the road. 

After seeing the wreckage in his neighborhood, he jumped into action to see if anyone needed help. 

Gonzalez said he wasn’t the only one.

"A bunch of our neighbors started running that way too," he said. 

While Gonzalez and many of his neighbors are being credited for being heroes, he said they train for situations like these. 

"We were just kind of jumping into action. This is our community, these are our neighbors," he said. 

Gonzalez, along with some of his fellow military members, helped save a family and their pets. 

As flames erupted on the street, Gonzalez said some neighbors had to find alternative escape routes since they couldn’t get out of their front doors.

What we don't know:

Those on the Cessna aircraft have not been identified. 

The backstory:

San Diego Fire officials responded to reports of an aircraft down in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood just before 4 a.m. 

Arriving first responders discovered multiple homes and vehicles were on fire. Firefighters immediately worked to knock down the flames while officers evacuated homes in the immediate areas, as well as homes to the south. 

While there were no injuries on the ground, officials said there were no survivors on the aircraft. 

Two elementary schools in the area canceled classes for Thursday and one of them, Miller Elementary, is serving as an evacuation center for displaced residents.