A news helicopter crashed down on the job in Los Angeles Tuesday evening, leaving at least three individuals dead.
The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed to multiple media outlets that emergency personnel were responding to a helicopter downed in Chatsworth, Calif. Tuesday night. The crash occurred just before 7 p.m., with the reported news helicopter going down between two commercial buildings. The cause of the crash is currently unclear, as well as which news station the aircraft in question belonged to.
Earlier on Tuesday, multiple news choppers had been covering a collision involving a Metro bus. Following word of the crash, anchors for NBC4 shared during their Tuesday night broadcast that they were unable to get in contact with their station’s helicopter.
“We do have one confirmed patient that seemed to be outside of the helicopter when it crashed,” LAFD Captain Branden Silverman said in a statement to media. “That person was declared deceased on scene. … At this point, we have not confirmed how many victims, or how many people, were inside the helicopter.”
Following Silverman’s statement, LAFD issued an update, confirming that “three patients have been determined deceased on scene.”
” 56 firefighters responded to the incident. The fire has been completely extinguished,” the LAFD statement read. “No exposure to any structures. 4 automobiles and 2 storage containers have been damaged by the fire. Four patients have been assessed. Three patients have been determined deceased on scene. One patient has been transported to a local hospital in unknown condition.”
Additionally, a spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Bureau told NBC News that the federal agency was gathering information regarding the crash and will soon decide whether to send investigators.
This story is developing…
