A television news helicopter crashed into a fireball Tuesday evening while covering a deadly Metro bus collision in Chatsworth, leaving three people dead and another hospitalized. The aircraft came down shortly before 7 p.m. at 9151 N. Mason Avenue, only blocks from the earlier bus wreck.

Flames spread to nearby vehicles and storage containers before firefighters contained the fire. Local reports confirmed one victim was on the ground at the time of death. Officials had not yet identified the deceased or established how many people were aboard the helicopter when it crashed.

The Los Angeles Fire Department deployed 56 responders to the scene, where four automobiles and two storage containers were damaged but no structures burned. Four patients were assessed at the crash site: three died on impact and one was transported in unknown condition.

Initial reports indicated the aircraft, identified as a television news helicopter by ABC7 Los Angeles, had likely been covering the bus collision that occurred minutes earlier. That incident involved an SUV slamming into a Metro bus, resulting in two deaths and six people hospitalized. Emergency crews were forced to work simultaneously at both scenes, with roads closed near Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue as responders addressed the cascading disasters.

The LAFD confirmed the helicopter was heavily destroyed upon impact and stated no immediate theory existed for the loss of control. Federal investigators, including the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, were preparing to examine the aircraft, flight path, maintenance records, and communications before determining causes. Officials remained uncertain about the exact number of people aboard the helicopter or whether the hospitalized individual was a passenger or ground victim.

This remains a developing story with five fatalities across both incidents confirmed in Chatsworth’s San Fernando Valley neighborhood.