LOS ANGELES: A local NBC news helicopter crashed in a Los Angeles neighborhood Tuesday and burst into flames, killing at least three people as reporters were covering the nearby crash of an SUV and a city bus, officials said.
Colleen Williams, an NBC4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed during a live broadcast that the station's chopper went down just before 7 p.m.
"We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, process it," she said, her voice shaking with emotion. Moments later, the station's coverage abruptly cut off.
The helicopter crashed near a storage building in the Chatsworth neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley, as news crews were covering the bus crash that left at least two people dead and six others injured, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
At least one person killed in the helicopter crash was outside in a parking lot next to the commercial building, Capt. Branden Silverman, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said during a news conference. It was unclear whether the other two who were killed were on the ground or inside the aircraft.
One person was taken to a hospital, but their condition was not known.
"We're trying to determine how many patients were inside the helicopter," Silverman said, describing the helicopter as "pretty well destroyed" and adding that officials would be sorting through the rubble to see how many victims were on board.
At least four cars and two storage containers on the ground burned after the helicopter caught fire, which was quickly put out, according to officials. More than 50 firefighters responded to the helicopter crash, the fire department said.
About two hours before the crash, an SUV slammed into the middle of a city bus, killing at least two people and injuring six others. Photos and videos online showed half of the SUV lodged into the side of an MTA bus.
NBCLA confirmed the helicopter was NewsChopper4, which is operated by Angel City Air. The outlet said several TV news helicopters were reporting on the bus crash before the news chopper went down about 1.5 miles (1.6 kilometers) from the bus collision.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said they will investigate the cause of the helicopter crash and would be sending an investigator Wednesday.
