A small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood Saturday morning just east of Portland, Oregon, causing a fire in a condominium complex, authorities said.
Gresham Fire Chief Scott Lewis told reporters the plane crashed into “a three-story row of condominium units,” four of which caught fire.
The crash happened around 10:20 a.m. local time in the town of Fairview, about two miles east of Troutdale Airport, the Gresham Fire Department reported. The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News the crashed plane was a twin-engine Cessna 421C. Lewis said the situation began when air traffic control at Troutdale Airport reported an “air emergency” and then spotted a “pillar of smoke” west of the airport.
“The initial report was of a possible plane crash into these apartments, we were able to confirm that that happened,” Lewis said, adding that crews arriving at the scene found “a lot of fire involvement.”
Lewis said the plane was likely carrying two occupants, but would not confirm whether there were any survivors. The chief also said a condo resident was missing and two people were treated for injuries at the scene.
At least five families have been displaced from their homes, he said.
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office spokesman John Plock told reporters the plane also knocked down a power pole and started another brush fire. The fire was near a “swampy area” and did not spread.
“At some point during the accident, the aircraft hit a power pole, which caused it to fall,” Plock said. “The power lines fell into some sort of field and started a brush fire.”
Two transmission lines from power provider Portland General were downed, but Lewis said it was unclear whether they were directly hit by the plane. reported that approximately 9,000 customers were without power on Saturday afternoon.
The federal National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation into the cause of the crash, the FAA said.. Gresham firefighters said they are also conducting their own investigation.
Fairview is located approximately 15 miles east of downtown Portland.
