Small plane carrying at least 2 people crashes into townhomes near Portland, engulfs home in flames

PORTLAND, Oregon — A small plane crashed into several row houses in a neighborhood east of Portland on Saturday morning, sparking a massive fire.

Gresham Fire Chief Scott Lewis said at least two people were on board the plane and one person was still missing from the homes. KPTV-TV in Portland reported. No deaths have been confirmed.

Photos and videos published by the news channel show at least one of the houses engulfed in flames and a thick plume of black smoke hanging in the air.

The Federal Aviation Administration identified the plane as a twin-engine Cessna 421C, which it said crashed around 10:30 a.m. near Troutdale Airport, about a 30-minute drive east of Portland.

When the plane crashed, it knocked down a pole and power lines, causing a separate but brief fire in a nearby field, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said. The plane was split into several pieces when it crashed in a residential area in the town of Fairview.

Troutdale Airport is described on the Port of Portland’s website as a “flight training and recreational airport.”