LOS ANGELES — Two people were killed and 18 others injured when a small plane crashed into a commercial warehouse near Fullerton Municipal Airport and started a fire, officials said. Harrowing audio from the incident indicated that the flight went suddenly and horribly wrong.

Security camera footage captured a fireball exploding when the plane made impact with the roof of the facility, sending thick clouds of dark smoke and bright orange flames into the sky.

The plane crash was reported in the 2300 block of Raymer Avenue at 2:09 p.m. Thursday, prompting the evacuation of more than 100 people from inside the building and the establishment of a nearby triage area to treat the injured, according to the Fullerton Police Department.

The crash occurred about half a mile from the Fullerton airport, and the FAA identified the aircraft as a single-engine Van’s RV-10.

At 3:25 p.m., Fullerton Police Lt. Tim Kandler said that the fire was extinguished.

As of 5 p.m., 10 people had been taken to hospitals and eight had been treated and released at the scene, according to police spokesperson Kristy Wells.

It was not clear whether the two people killed were inside the airplane, she said.

Data from flight tracker FlightAware showed a plane leaving the small airport at 2:07 p.m. before its flight ended at 2:09 p.m., which is the time that police said they received a notification about a plane crash.

The plane had just taken off from the Fullerton airport when the pilot announced that an immediate landing was required, according to audio from the air traffic control tower.

In the audio, the pilot initially says he is going to land on Runway 6, prompting the air traffic controller to tell another aircraft to turn away from that area. The air traffic controller then tells the pilot that either Runway 6 or 24 are clear for landing.

The pilot then changes his mind for an unknown reason and says he is going to land on Runway 24. Less than a minute later, panicked gasping and an “Oh my God” can be heard before the pilot’s audio goes quiet.

According to FAA data, the plane is registered to a Huntington Beach resident. It is unclear whether that individual was in the plane at the time of the crash.

Multiple agencies worked together to respond to the incident. They included the Fullerton police and fire departments, Buena Park police, La Habra police, Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway police, Cal State Fullerton University police, and fire personnel from Brea, Anaheim and Huntington Beach as well as the Orange County Fire Authority.

Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung thanked first responders for their help in a Thursday evening statement he issued on behalf of the Fullerton City Council.

“As we come together in the wake of this tragedy, the city of Fullerton is committed to providing support for all those affected and working with the agencies involved to uncover the details of this incident,” Jung stated. “We are grateful for the strength of our community and the compassion we show one another in times of crisis. Together, we will move forward with resolve, care, and unity.”

Information was not immediately available on the cause of the crash.

(Staff writer Andrew J. Campa contributed to this report.)

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