An NBC News local helicopter crashed in a neighborhood in Los Angeles on Tuesday, turning into a ball of flames that led to the deaths of at least three people. The incident happened while covering a collision between an SUV and a city bus.
Details of the Helicopter Crash
Colin Williams, NBC4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed during a live broadcast that the station's helicopter crashed just before 7 PM. He said, "We will take a few minutes to think about this and process it," his voice trembling. Moments later, their news coverage was abruptly cut off.
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The helicopter crashed near a storage building in the Chatsworth neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley while news teams were covering a bus accident that left at least two people dead and six others injured. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, at least one person who died in the helicopter crash was in a nearby parking lot of a commercial building.
Fire Department Response and Condition of the Injured
Captain Branden Silverman, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said at a press conference, "It is unclear whether the other two fatalities were on the ground or inside the helicopter." One person was transported to the hospital, but their condition is unknown.
Silverman added that they are trying to determine how many people were inside the helicopter, describing it as "completely destroyed." Additionally, four vehicles and two storage containers on the ground burned after the helicopter fire was quickly extinguished. More than 50 firefighters responded to the scene.
About two hours before the crash, an SUV collided with a city bus, resulting in at least two deaths and injuries to six others. Photos and videos online showed half of the SUV wedged next to an MTA bus.
The crashed helicopter, named NewsChopper4, is operated by Angel City Air. The media confirmed that several news helicopters were covering the bus accident, and the news helicopter crashed approximately one and a half miles (1.6 kilometers) from the accident.
Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, thanked the rescue teams that responded to both accidents, stating in a post on social media platform X, "Our hearts are with the victims and their families." The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration announced that they would conduct investigations into the cause of the helicopter crash, sending one of their inspectors to the scene on Wednesday.
Source: abcnews.com
