Plane Slams Into Multifamily Building, Killing All On Board; Fire Rages

A small plane crashed into a multifamily residence in a small town in New Hampshire, causing the structure to catch fire and sending emergency crews scrambling to contain the blaze.

The city of Keene, a town of about 23,000 near the border with Massachusetts, said in a Facebook post Friday night that the plane struck the building near the local airport. Those on the plane died in the crash but no one in the building was injured, according to the post. A fire district in southwestern New Hampshire earlier reported in a Facebook post Friday night that the blaze at the building grew to a three-alarm fire.

Details on events leading up to the crash haven't been released, but local news outlets are broadcasting images showing firefighters bringing the fire under control.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Newsweek in an email that a single-engine Beechcraft Sierra crashed into the building north of Dillant-Hopkins Airport in Keene at around 6:55 p.m.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, according to the FAA. Investigators will verify the aircraft's registration number at the scene, which the FAA said it expects to post online by the next business day. Neither agency will release the names of people involved in aircraft accidents, the FAA said.

The burning building is on Lower Main Street near the Hope Chapel, about 3,000 feet from the northern end of the runway at Dillant-Hopkins, reports WCVB. The station later posted a video online of the building continuing to smolder as firefighters appeared to have the blaze contained.

Twitter user Mike Saccone posted a video of the fire to Twitter. He wrote in his tweet that residents said the structure is a barn attached to an apartment building.

WKBK Radio Keene posted a photo of the flames rising from the building and smoke billowing into the night air to Twitter.

About 20 to 30 firefighters were at the scene as crews went about extinguishing a collapsed building adjacent to the chapel, which appeared undamaged, reports The Keene Sentinel. Police blocked off a segment of Main Street between Route 101 and Swanzey Factory Road, the paper reports.

"I was sitting in my living room, as I am right close to the airport. I heard the plane and then I heard a crash, then sirens. I went into my kitchen to get stuff ready for work and saw the flames from my back window," witness Angel Brown told WMUR.

The American Red Cross of Northern New England told WMUR that they are on the scene offering assistance.

"Our Disaster Action Team is mobilizing, and we are waiting to hear more what specifically the community needs from us," the relief group told the station.

The Southwestern New Hampshire District Fire Mutual Aid dispatch and the Keene Police Department told Newsweek that additional information would be released later.

Update 10/21/22, 9:45 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information.