Three dead after plane crashes into row of townhouses in Oregon's Portland

Three people were dead after a small plane crashed into a row of townhouses Saturday morning in a neighbourhood east of Portland, setting the homes ablaze, authorities told KATU-TV.

Officials earlier in the day had said the plane was carrying two people and that at least one resident had been unaccounted for.

Photos and videos published by KGW-TV in Portland showed one of the townhomes engulfed in flames while black smoke poured out of the adjoining houses. Gresham Fire Chief Scott Lewis said the fire had spread to at least four of the homes, displacing up to six families. He said two people were treated at the scene, but he didn't describe the type or severity of injuries.

The Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as a twin-engine Cessna 421C, which it says went down around 10:30 am near Troutdale Airport, about a 30-minute drive east of Portland.

As the plane went down, it knocked over a pole and power lines, causing a separate brush fire in a nearby field, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. The plane was split into multiple parts as it crashed in the residential area in the city of Fairview, which is home to about 10,000 people.

Lewis said the first call about the fire came from staff at the Troutdale Airport's control tower, who saw a thick plume of smoke rising in the air. But Lewis said that initial reports indicated there was no mayday, no call for emergency from the aircraft itself before it crashed.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash. The agency has sent two investigators to the site of the crash who will document the wreckage, spokesperson Peter Knudson said. He did not release further details about the crash.

The website for the Port of Portland, which oversees general aviation and marine operations in the Portland area, describes Troutdale Airport as a flight training and recreational airport.