Two people died after a KOMO news helicopter crashed in central Seattle at the foot of the landmark Space Needle, fire officials have said.
The helicopter belonging to broadcaster KOMO went down about 07:52 local time.
A man in a car destroyed in the crash suffered severe burns and is hospital in critical condition, while two others escaped without serious injury.
KOMO said the helicopter was trying to take off when it crashed.
“There was a huge plume of thick black smoke” when fire fighters arrived, said fire department spokesman Kyle Moore.
Two people died after a KOMO news helicopter crashed in central Seattle at the foot of the landmark Space Needle
Three vehicles on the street below the broadcaster’s building caught on fire. But fire fighters prevented a fuel spill from the crash from entering the sewer system.
The man brought to hospital was in one of the vehicles but managed to pull himself out despite having burns over 50% of his body, Kyle Moore said.
He said investigators had no indication the helicopter struck a building.
A witness told KOMO the engine of the helicopter “sounded extra heavy” as it started up and he heard an explosion seconds later.
Police have told Seattle drivers to stay out of the city centre. The National Safety Transportation Board has launched an investigation into the crash.
Kanye West kicked off his Yeezus tour on Saturday night in Seattle.
Kanye West, 36, performed mainly selections from the new album on a spectacular Key Arena stage that featured a 60-foot tall white mountain as a centerpiece with a gigantic circular projection screen hanging above.
Kanye West kicked off his Yeezus tour on Saturday night in Seattle
The rapper wore a series of masks while performing On Sight, New Slave and Send It Up, along with some of his older material.
Toward the end of the show the stage mountain split apart and spewed clouds of white smoke – along with the Virgin Mary and a large crucifix as Kanye West sang I Wonder.
Jeff Blackburn was driving his garbage truck on his regular route in Seattle when he saw a woman jogging with a baby in a pram, TV network Komo 4 reports.
Scroll down for video
The mother turned the pram sideways at the top of a hill and moved away to talk to some other women when the stroller took off, he said.
“She was on a hill and almost immediately when she turned the corner the stroller started to turn and roll down the hill,” Mr Blackburn said.
“So I started honking the horn and speeding up so I could catch up to it before it got to the intersection, because at the bottom of the hill was a busy intersection with stop signs.”
Blackburn acted quickly to avert disaster. He honked the horn of his truck repeatedly, attracting the attention of a FedEx truck that stopped in time. Quick thinking, he used his big truck to block traffic so the intersection was free for the stroller to roll across safely.
He then jumped out of his truck and ran across the road just in time to stop the stroller as it bumped over a curb.
He told KOMO4: “When I got to the bottom, I hit the brake, got out of the truck and tried to grab it. Luckily when I was honking the horn, a FedEx truck was going through the intersection and stopped because he heard the horn honking.”
The video shows a woman giving a helping hand with the rescue effort.
The boy was rescued unhurt and and it seems he had enjoyed the roll down the hill. Blackburn told KOMO4: “He seemed to be having a great time rolling down the hill… he seemed to enjoy it.”
The frantic woman arrived seconds later.
“She came running in — she was freaked out and was shaking and… I don’t even think she said anything, she just grabbed the kid and ran away,” Blackburn said. “She was just really, really shook up.”
He says he was in the right place at the right time because the FedEx truck going through the intersection would likely have never seen the stroller had it not been for all the horn honking.
Blackburn was asked if he had seen anything before in the three years he’s been on the route.
“No, this is the first. People usually hold on to their children,” he laughed.
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