Back at the Navy Exchange, Liberty Military Housing workers walked through the parking lot, passing out food and donuts to evacuated families. The agency, which manages the Murphy Canyon properties, was working to help more than three dozen families find temporary housing.

In the dark stillness of night, a quiet, tree-lined street in a San Diego neighborhood was plunged into tragedy when a plane clipped a main power line and crashed onto the street — turning cars into fireballs and sending hundreds of residents fleeing in a haze of smoke and confusion.