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VIDEO: Flames Spread After Helicopter Crashes In Seattle

Two people were killed and one was critically injured when a KOMO News helicopter crashed and burned Tuesday near Seattle's Space Needle, the station reports.

Our colleagues at KUOW write that "the Seattle Fire Department said two people have died, and one man in his 30s is in critical condition and has been transported to Harborview Medical Center."

According to The Seattle Times:

"Chris McColgan, 26, lives a couple blocks west of crash. ... [He] said he was driving west on Broad Street, stopped at the light on John Street, just two cars ahead of where copter came down.

"Because he was stopped at light, he saw the helicopter fall from the helipad atop the KOMO building."

At least two videos from the scene have been posted. As you can see in this one, flames spread down the street as fuel spread. According to KOMO News, "fire crews were able to extinguish the flames within a half-hour. Traffic was diverted from the area."

The station is streaming its coverage here.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.