A small plane slammed into rugged terrain in Southern California’s Cajon Pass on Wednesday, killing the pilot and igniting a wildfire that has since burned through more than 2,000 acres. The pilot has been identified as Brett Bhola, a 36-year-old father of three from Rancho Cucamonga.
Bhola was the sole occupant of the single-engine aircraft, which crashed in the Cajon Pass area of San Bernardino County at approximately 12:30 p.m. on May 7, according to the New York Post’s reporting on the crash and fire. The impact sparked what authorities have designated the Canyon Fire, a fast-moving blaze that forced evacuations and threatened homes across the region.
A deadly crash and a fire that exploded
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the downed aircraft was a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza. The plane went down in a remote, brush-covered area between the 15 Freeway and the 138 Highway, terrain that made both the crash response and the firefighting effort extraordinarily difficult.
San Bernardino County Fire Department personnel responded to the crash site and confirmed Bhola’s death at the scene. Within minutes of impact, the wreckage had ignited surrounding vegetation. Driven by dry conditions and wind, the Canyon Fire grew rapidly…