Last Updated on May 20, 2019 by CCAR Staff
A street that leads to a mix of warehouses and distribution centers, closed after an F-16 plunged through a warehouse roof last week, fully re-opened for traffic on Monday.
Opportunity Way, north of Van Buren Boulevard, is again barrier-free.
By Sunday, much of it had re-opened except near the crash site in the 22000 block.
The warehouse where the jet crashed Thursday afternoon is west of March Air Reserve Base, where the plane was based.
On Monday, the cordoned-off area was reduced to the building that the fighter hit; all other businesses in the area were allowed to return to operation, an afternoon news release from the base said.
The pilot ejected safely, and there were no serious injuries to anyone inside the building or to first responders, either. On Friday, weapons removed from the aircraft were detonated at the nearby Ben Clark Training Center.
The plane will not be removed from the building until an investigation team had completed its work, “and we do not yet know when that will be,” Linda Welz, a spokeswoman for the base, said on Monday.
The pilot’s name had not been released as of Monday. He is from the Fresno-based 144th Fighter Wing and was reported to be at home, and in good condition, Welz said in the afternoon news release.
Dan Cupido, who witnessed the crash and was listening to the March tower radio frequency at the same time, said he heard the pilot declare an emergency because of a hydraulics problem that can cause loss of control. Cupido said he also heard the pilot was circling to burn off fuel.
A decision will be made whether to take the wreckage out potentially through the hole in the roof it created, or to disassemble the jet inside the building and remove it through the warehouse’s doors.
Over the weekend, officials from the base including its judge advocate, or attorney, met with business owners who had been affected by the crash. The meeting was to “provide assistance and answer questions,” the base said.
Owners also were able to retrieve property, the release added.
