Carroll: Two blocks from the crash site

CNN's Jason Carroll

NEW YORK (CNN) -- An American Airlines jet with 255 people on board crashed Monday in a residential neighborhood of Queens after taking off from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

CNN's Jason Carroll was on the scene shortly after the crash. He filed this report as the events unfolded.

CARROLL: We notice that there are several fighter jets patrolling the area, perhaps as a precautionary measure. One of the witnesses is telling me now that the buildings that are on fire are homes.

... I'm just about two blocks from where this accident has happened. From our vantage point, the smoke is very acrid. It's a like gray smoke, but it changes at some point. When we first got here, the smoke was much darker. Now it appears much lighter. But once again, I am being told that the buildings affected are homes. The mayor claims, according to his information at this point, at least 12 buildings on the ground have been affected.

CNN: Are people being moved out of that area, or are you able to penetrate quite easily?

CARROLL: Fire departments and police departments have come in and cordoned off several blocks. They are trying to keep people out of the area. We are being pushed back and I'm sure we'll be pushed back even more as more fire and police crews arrive on the scene.

But once again, as I'm standing here, I'm looking at some people who live in the area, trying to get back. Some had left for work and now they're trying to come home, trying to find their loved ones, trying to get information about what's happening two blocks from where I'm standing.

CNN: I know one eyewitness told you that he actually saw what appeared to be some sort of explosion coming from the right side of the aircraft. Has anybody else reported seeing that?

CARROLL: No one else. And again, he wasn't sure if it was an explosion or some sort of fire coming from the right side of the aircraft. I want to make that clear. When something like this happens, (people say) maybe its the right side, maybe it's the left side. But according to him, it was the right side of the plane. It appeared to be either an explosion or a fire on the right side. I believe he said it was near the engine. And then he said the plane just simply went down.