A small plane crashed into a suburban home in Minnesota, causing a fiery explosion that resulted in at least one death.
The house was totally destroyed, but the lives of the people inside were spared. The couple that owns the property in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota spoke to the media after surviving the harrowing ordeal.
The plane had departed from Des Moines and was headed for Minneapolis when something went terribly wrong around 12:20 p.m on Saturday.
Kenneth Tobacman was inside his kitchen when suddenly he heard a terrifying noise.
“All of a sudden there's a big boom,” Tobacman told Good Morning America. “The lights went out, and I saw a flash,” he continued. “Sparks or something or a little bit of smoke. I thought, 'What the hell?’”
In less than a minute, the whole house was "engulfed in flames," neighbor Sean Riddler said.
“I'd say I made it to the house in about 30 seconds from impact,” said Riddler on GMA. “It was already on fire. In probably another 30 to 45 seconds, the entire house was completely engulfed in flames.”
Luckily, Tobacman's wife, Mary Butler, was outside walking their dog when the plane hit.
“If she hadn't been, I probably could not have rescued her or the dog,” Tobacman said. “It happened that quickly. It's really fortunate that she was out when the plane hit.”
In an interview with NBC affiliate KARE, Butler said she was "blocks away" when she heard the impact. Her husband had escaped the house through the kitchen doorway - the door itself was already gone when he bolted out, he told her.
The couple lived in the home for 15 years, said Butler, adding they are currently living out of a hotel. While the couple and their dog made it out, their cat did not survive, Butler said.
It's unclear how many people have died. But no one on the ground was hurt, and authorities believe only one person, the pilot, was on board the plane.
The Socata TBM 700 was registered to a bank executive for U.S. Bank, Terry Dolan. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has yet to identify the pilot.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family and friends, and anyone who may have been affected by yesterday's tragic incident," a spokesperson for U.S. Bank said. "We are grateful that there were not any injuries to residents of the home that was impacted by the crash, and we thank all the first responders who have provided service."
