Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Two people died in fiery crash of a small plane into a New Hampshire multifamily building late Friday, authorities said.
Mayor George Hansel of Keene, N.H., located about 80 miles northwest of Boston, said it was "fortunate" that no one on the ground died as well when the plane crashed into the garage of a multifamily building, triggering an explosion and a fire.
Keene Police Capt. Steven Tenney told reporters police and fire departments responded to a report of an explosion and a fire around 6:45 p.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they would be investigating how the single-engine Beechcraft Sierra crashed.
Scott Gauthier, 44, told The Keene Sentinel he heard to sound of the crash and became alarmed.
"It sounded like something hit the parking lot in the back, and all I know is my mom went up to check and started screaming, 'Get out of the house,'" he said.
Gauthier said he could see smoke billowing into the building, and as he ran out, he looked up to see the roof engulfed in flames.
Hansel said authorities would be working to understand what happened.
"I'm thankful for our first responders who were able to quickly get the situation under control," he said. "In the coming days and weeks, city staff will be working closely with the proper authorities to understand what happened."
