Photos: Fighter Jet Crashes Into Homes In Southern California

A US Marine Corps jet crashed into a residential neighborhood in the Imperial Valley late Wednesday afternoon, destroying three homes. Amazingly, nobody was injured and the pilot was able to eject just before the jet crashed. The crash occurred in the city of Imperial, about 100 miles east of San Diego.

Fire crews were able to put out the flames relatively quickly, though authorities evacuated eight homes in the aftermath. In addition to the flames, military hazmat crews were also on the scene dealing with chemicals from the wreckage, according to NBC San Diego. The jet was a 'Harrier' and had originated from the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma out of Arizona. The pilot was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation and has been released.

Residents in the neighborhood took to social media to record the harrowing images of the crash, with photos and videos depicting a chaotic scene as the suburban neighborhood was consumed by flames and black smoke.

The official Twitter account of MCAS Miramar in San Diego tweeted this morning that five of the eight evacuated families were cleared to return last night, and that an official investigation was already underway to determine the cause of the crash. The USMC remained on site to work with those affected by the incident and to clean up the debris and hazardous chemicals.

In an unrelated incident that occurred last night after the crash in Imperial, a Navy F-18 also crashed off the coast off the coast of Southern California as it was about to land on an aircraft carrier. The pilot was also able to safely eject.