At least three people were killed after a news helicopter crashed and caught fire in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, authorities said. The aircraft went down in a parking area in Chatsworth, near the site of an earlier deadly road accident.
The helicopter, identified as NBC Los Angeles' NewsChopper 4, was operated by Angel City Air and was covering the earlier crash when it went down shortly before 7pm local time on the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue.
NBC Los Angeles identified two of the victims as aerial photojournalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw. The third victim, identified by the Los Angeles Fire Department as Captain Branden Silverman, was on the ground in the parking area when the helicopter crashed.
Two other people were taken to a hospital following the incident. Officials had not immediately released information about their conditions.
The helicopter struck a parking area close to a storage facility and sparked a fire. At least four vehicles and two storage containers were damaged by the flames. More than 70 firefighters responded to the scene, and emergency crews managed to extinguish the fire relatively quickly.
Fire officials described the aircraft as heavily destroyed. Crews were expected to search through the wreckage as part of the effort to confirm the number of people involved and gather evidence about what happened.
The helicopter crash occurred roughly 1.6km from an earlier collision on Nordhoff Street. That accident, reported at about 5:03pm, involved an SUV and a bus. Two people were killed and six others were injured.
Several aircraft had reportedly been covering the earlier crash, including the NewsChopper 4 helicopter. NBC Los Angeles later announced on air that it had lost contact with its crew before confirming that the aircraft had crashed.
The tragedy deeply affected the station's newsroom. Anchor Colleen Williams paused the broadcast after the confirmation, saying the team needed time to process the loss and regroup.
Eliana Moreno had been part of Angel City Air's helicopter operation since 2010, following her graduation, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The cause of the helicopter crash remains unknown. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to lead the investigation into the incident.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed condolences to the families of those killed in both crashes and praised emergency personnel for their rapid response. California Governor Gavin Newsom also thanked first responders and expressed sympathy for the victims and their families.
Authorities urged members of the public to avoid the area while investigators and emergency crews continued working at the scene.
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