Fiery ultralight plane crash in Surrey seriously injures one person

One person has been taken to hospital with serious injuries after an ultralight aircraft crashed and caught on fire in Surrey, B.C. Friday afternoon.

Witnesses on the scene told CTV news they saw the plane take off before crashing.

"He managed to get in the air 300 or 400 feet, and apparently the engine started to miss, he tried to turn back to the field, and fell short…and immediately it burst into flames," Jeff Rochon said.

Officers with the Surrey RCMP say they were called to an ultralight aviation field on 152 Street near 69 Avenue around 1:30 p.m., a statement from Mounties says.

"Police are currently on scene and the circumstances that led to the fire are unclear at this time. The fire spread to the surrounding grass area and firefighters are actively working to extinguish it," the media release continues, saying a lengthy road closure was expected and asking drivers to avoid te area. 

Meanwhile, firefighters said the conditions were making it challenging to put the fire out and a second alarm response involving 10 trucks and 28 personnel is underway

"It’s gotten windy this afternoon and the wind is pushing this fire away from us, we are getting crews on all the different flanks on the fire," John Lehmann, deputy chief of operations with the Surrey Fire Service said.

"It’s dry. As I’m sure everyone knows, we’ve had a very dry May and into June with no relief in sight here, so people need to be careful. This should be a reminder that even down here on the coast where everything is still green, a wildfire can get going and when it's pushed by the wind it can become quite a problem." 

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has sent investigators to probe the crash, identifying the aircraft involved as a Zenair CH701.