2 killed, 18 injured after plane crashes into Southern California commercial building

FULLERTON, Calif. - Two people are dead and several others were injured after a small plane crashed into a building in Fullerton on Thursday afternoon, according to police.

What we know:

The crash happened around 2:30 p.m. in the 2300 block of Raymer Avenue, according to authorities, where evacuations were conducted by Fullerton and Orange County Fire Authority crews, FOX LA reported

As of 5 p.m., two people were confirmed dead and 18 others injured. The extent of their injuries is unknown. It's also unclear how many people were on board the plane.

Police said the plane crashed into the Fullerton furniture manufacturing building while making its approach to the runway. Then, it caught on fire, sending large plumes of smoke in the air visible from miles away. 

Video from the scene showed a gaping hole in the building's roof where the plane struck it. 

The backstory:

"When we were working inside the building we just saw a big blow up on top of the roof, on the ceiling. Then our boss shouted ‘evacuate the building, everybody get out,'" one witness told FOX LA. 

The Federal Aviation Administration reported that it was a single-engine Van's Aircraft RV-10 that crashed. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash with the FAA.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

In November, a single-engine plane crashed in the 2400 block of Artesia Avenue, also just east of Fullerton Airport, leaving the two people aboard with "moderate" injuries. That plane also crashed while trying to land at the airport.