Crime & Safety

Smoke at SFO: Los Gatos Residents Witness Signs of Plane Crash

Residents share what they saw of the SFO plane crash on Facebook.

By Drew Himmelstein

Los Gatos and Bay Area residents were stunned by the sight of smoke at SFO Saturday morning. Asiana Flight 214 crashed at San Francisco International Airport, with two confirmed dead and dozens injured.

On Facebook, locals shared their stories of sighting smoke and witnessing the fallout from the crash. Read their stories below, then share your own in the comments section.

From Los Gatos Patch Facebook:

Christine Arabaci Our family was 1 mile away from SFO when the plane crashed. We were arriving to the airport to go on our vacation. We saw the smoke from the 101 fwy. Several fire engines and highway patrol cars were speeding past us, lights & horns full on. You could smell the jet fuel and plastic burning.

From South San Francisco Patch Facebook:

Deborah Ann Portillo: YES WERE ON THE TOP OF GILERT GOING DOWN TO PACK N SAVE SAW THE SMOKE I NEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG BECAUSE THERE WAS NO PLANES COMING IN AROUND 11:40 AM GOD BLESS THE FAMILYS

Teresa Teani: We live on e.c. [El Camino] And heard a boom but didn't think much of it at first

From Pacifica Patch Facebook:

Kelly Duffy-Pallansch: I got to the airport just after the crash. My son and I saw the smoke and wondered if it was dark fog. When we got inside they said the airport was closed all flights cancelled. We will have to call Sfo Tomorrow to see if they reschedule my sons flight.

Britney Marie: So sad what happened, but the airlines are doing a horrible job accomodating everyone. We are stuck flying to Santa Barbara from Phoenix and are told we have to find/pay for our own way home from there.

Rachel Kehaulani Lownds: My husband and son saw the smoke on the way home from Millbrae. About 20 minutes after it happened and right when 101 was shut down.

Crystal Sigler Morrill: I work in millbrae right near the fire station. They queued up in the parking lot next to El Camino Real across from the Trader Joe's and waited for the call that they were needed. We were all hoping that they wouldn't get called, but of course they did. Many of our customers came in with speculations or "news" before we could find anything online. I kept hoping all the emergency crews were being called in for precautionary reasons. I didn't go outside to see the smoke myself but we received many reports of it as customers came in throughout the late morning.


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