KNBC helicopter crashes and bursts into flames in Los Angeles, killing three

At least three people were killed after a KNBC news helicopter crashed in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Chatsworth on Tuesday night, officials said.

The helicopter crashed shortly before 7:00 PM about 25 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, near an area where emergency crews and journalists were responding to a deadly bus collision.

“We do know it’s a news helicopter and we do know we have lost contact with our people,” KNBC anchor Colleen Williams said on air.

Three people were pronounced dead at the scene, while another person was taken to hospital with an unknown condition, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

One of those killed was a “pedestrian who was outside, in the parking lot,” LAFD Fire Captain Branden Silverman told reporters.

Silverman said the helicopter was “pretty well destroyed” and authorities were searching the wreckage to identify the victims.

The crash sparked a fire near several vehicles and cargo containers. Fifty-six firefighters responded and later extinguished the blaze.

Four vehicles and two storage containers were damaged.