(NewsNation) — Two people died after a small plane crashed into several parked semi-trucks near Fort Worth, Texas, creating a fire that drew first responders from around the region.
Officials say the crash happened around 1:30 p.m. local time in a parking lot near Hicks Airfield.
Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman Craig Trojacek said emergency crews found two people who were dead at the scene, where several vehicles and a commercial building had caught fire. Published images of the aftermath show rolling flames and a thick black plume of smoke.
“We thought we were responding to two separate incidents,” Trojacek told the New York Times. “Later on, we realized it was all part of the same one.”
In a news release, the department said firefighters brought the blaze under control within 35 minutes.
Gregory Delano, a 20-year-old witness, was at a pool hall down the street when the crash occurred. He told the Dallas News he ran to the crash site and encountered a “giant ball of fire.”
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the crash of a Beech King Air C90, a twin-engine aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration was also investigating.
No further details were immediately available.