The people died after the pilot of an F/A-18 Hornet failed to land the disabled jet at nearby Marine Corps Air Station MiraMar around noon and was forced to eject, authorities said.

The pilot had minor injuries.

The pilot from a Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron was flying on a training mission from the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier off the coast of San Diego.

The crash started fires that destroyed two homes on Cather Avenue in University City. Residents in the area were evacuated amid concerns of potential toxic fumes, and a potentially explosive ejection seat that remained in the craft.

A University City High School student, Michael Nugent, was on a lunch break when he heard a loud pop and saw the pilot eject, he told BayNewsVideo.

"You could see it hit and there was a giant mushroom cloud," he said.

Nugent jumped in his car and headed to the area, as his home and that of his grandparents appeared to be near the crash site, he said."

He arrived before authorities to find neighbors in the area trying to douse the flames with their garden hoses, he said.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is being conducted by the military.

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