3 dead after small plane crashes into townhomes in Fairview

Very heart wrenching that our neighbors right now. It's just wanting to make sure that all of our neighbors are made it out. All the animals are safe. It's a very tragic situation. At least three people are dead after a small plane crashed into a row of town homes in Fairview. Thanks for joining us. I'm John Adams. The Multnomah County Sheriff's office is telling us there are actually two main crash areas after pieces of the plane apparently began to break off after it hit a power pole. We have team coverage for you tonight. Our Sydney Dorner and Celine Stevens are in Fairview right now near the crash site. Sydney spoke with neighbors about the crash. But first, Celine, what's the latest, John? That's right. It's been almost 10 hours since that small plane crashed into town homes here in Fairview. And as you can see behind me, the scene is still very active. Go ahead and take a look. We still have Multnomah County Sheriff's office on scene as well as Portland fire and rescue and also crews working to repair those power lines after the plane hit it. Now, two people were on board the plane and one person was also reported missing from the home. And now Gresham fire tells me that three people have been confirmed dead. Aircraft went down about two miles aircraft just before 1030 Saturday morning. A small plane crashed into town homes in Fairview causing a five alarm fire to spread to multiple units and leaving debris scattered all over the area. When we go to five alarms, we're talking almost 20 engines, ladder trucks, five or six chief officers and a bunch of ancillary equipment. The crash site only a few miles away from Troutdale Airport. Initial report says that there were two occupants on the airplane and were missing one residential occupant from the condo unit. As for other injuries. Gresham Fire Department also said two people were treated by medics on scene. The Federal Aviation Administration also confirmed in the statement that two people were on board the plane and stated they and the National Transportation Safety are investigating the crash. Can you run? Officials say it's unknown where the plane took off from or what caused the crash. That crash also caused around 9000 customers to lose power. At some point. During the crash, it hit a power pole or tower causing it to fall over and so the power lines fell into a field of some sort and started a brush fire service was restored around three in the afternoon but residents in the surrounding area were evacuated with the damage leaving some displaced as soon as Red Cross gets here, they will be helping with housing. So right now, we're making sure they're in shade, they're getting something to drink. They're getting the emotional support and their family members have a clear way to get to them so they can hang on to each other after this. Then comes all the questions on what next? Now, although three people have been confirmed dead, GREs and fire could not confirm whether those were the two people on board the plane and one person that is being reported missing from the home. Now, the National Transportation Safety Board asked that if you have any information or were witness to the crash or any surveillance video to contact them at witness at N tsb.gov, John. Back to you. All right, Celine, thank you continuing our team coverage tonight. Sydney Dorner spoke with neighbors who saw and felt this all unfold. Sydney, what did they, what did they tell you? Well, John, when we first got here, we were right behind the row of homes that were hit by the small plane. Firefighters were still actively manning the fire and neighbors were still in shock saying they felt the impact and even saw the plane take down power lines, a loud boom. We saw heavy fire coming through the roof. And the next disturbing people in a small neighborhood in Northeast Fairview. It was a pretty big impact. One neighbor that was a fairly close neighbor said the explosion shook him out of his chair. John Sampson was working on his way to his next job. Never expecting to witness the minutes after a plane crash, the wings that were sideways and went into the condominiums hitting power lines on the way down. It was a pretty big power line so wasn't sure they weren't sure if it was going down and hit the power lines or the power lines caused the accident. But then it sheared one of the wings off, quickly starting a fire that spread through a row of homes. When we got there, it was 1.5 and it was about four probably by the time and they got it slowed down. But they had about every engine I think in Portland there when we arrived on scene, two people in the plane and one person in the home were still unaccounted for worrying neighbors like Andrea Cox who lives right behind where the crash erupted. Very heart wrenching our neighbors right now. It's just wanting to make sure that all of our neighbors are made it out. All the animals are safe. A very tragic situation. Sampson says you could feel the pain and shock of the neighborhood as they took the scene in. There was a lot of people crying. A lot of the neighbors were just beside themselves. They had their hands over their face and it's pretty sad. It makes it all real when you see the damage now PG will be assessing the damage as soon as they can safely access their equipment. John, back to you Sydney. Thank you. What a terrifying and tragic scene.