Three people were killed Tuesday night when an NBC Los Angeles news helicopter crashed and burst into flames in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles while covering another deadly accident nearby.

The helicopter, known as NewsChopper4 and operated for NBC4, went down shortly before 7 p.m. between two commercial buildings in the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said 56 firefighters responded to the scene, where the wreckage ignited a fire that scorched several vehicles and storage containers. Three people were pronounced dead at the scene.

Another person was transported to a hospital after suffering what authorities described as an apparent panic attack.

NBC4 confirmed on the air later Tuesday night that the helicopter belonged to the station.

The aircraft had been covering a separate horrific crash roughly a mile away involving an SUV and a Los Angeles Metro bus. That collision also left multiple people dead and several others injured.

Police, firefighters and news crews were already gathered throughout the area covering the bus wreck when the helicopter suddenly went down, with witnesses reporting a fireball and a loud explosion.

Authorities have not yet publicly identified all of the victims of the helicopter crash or provided details about what caused the aircraft to go down.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)