A military jet crashed in an Imperial Valley neighborhood just two hours south of San Diego Wednesday afternoon, reports confirm.

Officials say the crash caused at least one house to catch on fire and damaged two or three other homes.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar took to a social networking site Wednesday night to inform the public that civilian structures were impacted by the incident, adding that the pilot was able to safely eject himself from the aircraft prior to the crash.

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Officials did not immediately say whether or not civilians had been injured in the occurrence, but an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the crash.

Eyewitnesses saw the pilot eject before the aircraft came down. They say the impact was so great and caught them unaware that they first assumed an earthquake was taking place.

The fire caused by the jet crash was quickly put out and officials informed neighborhood residents that the surrounding streets would be closed down while an investigation was being carried out.

This isn't the first crash to happen in recent months. In early May, a Harrier jet from the same Yuma airbase crashed in an unpopulated region south of Phoenix, AZ.

The pilot in that case was also able to eject himself from the aircraft safely before the jet broke into fiery pieces. No one was reported injured in the incident.

Harrier jets are informally referred to as Jumper Jets due to their capability for vertical/short takeoffs and landings.

However, the aircraft has often been considered accident-prone causing government officials to question the need for the Marine Corps to continue flying the jets.

The U.S. version of the Harrier jet has one of the worst safety records of any military aircraft.

Tagsjet crash, california, Harrier jets