Three people died after a small plane crashed into a row of townhouses Saturday morning in an east Portland neighborhood, setting the homes on fire, authorities told KATU-TV.
Authorities said earlier in the day that the plane was carrying two people and that at least one resident was missing.
Photos and video released by KGW-TV in Portland showed one of the townhouses engulfed in flames as black smoke billowed from adjacent homes.
Gresham Fire Chief Scott Lewis said the fire has spread to at least four homes, displacing up to six families.
He said two people were treated at the scene, but he did not describe the type or severity of the injuries.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the plane as a twin-engine Cessna 421C, which crashed around 10:30 a.m. near Troutdale Airport, about a 30-minute drive east of Portland.
When the plane crashed, it knocked down a pole and power lines, sparking a brush fire in a nearby field, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
The plane was split into several pieces when it crashed in the residential area of the town of Fairview, home to about 10,000 people.
Lewis said the first call about the fire came from personnel in the Troutdale Airport control tower, who saw a thick plume of smoke rising into the air.
But Lewis said initial reports indicated “there was no distress call, no emergency call” from the plane itself before it crashed.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the crash.
The agency has sent two investigators to the crash site who will document the debris, spokesman Peter Knudson said. He did not provide further details about the crash.
The website for the Port of Portland, which oversees general aviation and marine operations in the Portland area, describes Troutdale Airport as a “flight training and recreational airport.”
