Small plane crashes into Oregon residential building near Portland, engulfing condos in fire, officials say

A small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood Saturday morning just east of Portland, Oregon, sparking a fire in a condominium complex, officials said.   

Gresham Fire Chief Scott Lewis told reporters that the plane crashed into “a row of three-story condo units,” four of which caught fire.

The crash occurred at about 10:20 a.m. local time in the city of Fairview, about two miles east of Troutdale Airport, the Gresham Fire Department reported. The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News that the crashed plane was a twin-engine Cessna 421C. Lewis said that the situation began when air traffic control for Troutdale Airport reported an “aircraft emergency” and then spotted a “column of smoke” west of the airport.  

“The initial report was possibly a plane crashed into those apartments, we’ve been able to confirm that has happened,” Lewis said, adding that crews arrived on the scene to find “heavy fire involvement.”

Lewis said that the plane was believed to be carrying two occupants, but did not confirm if there were any survivors or if they had been killed in the crash. The chief also said that a condo unit resident was missing, and two people were treated for injuries at the scene. 

At least five families were displaced from their homes, he said. 

Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office spokesman John Plock told reporters that the plane also downed a power pole and caused a separate brush fire. The brush fire was near a “swampy area” and did not spread.

“At some point during the crash it hit a power pole…causing it to fall over,” Plock said. “So the power lines fell into a field of some sort and started a brush fire.”

Two transmission lines for utility provider Portland General were down, but Lewis said it was unclear if they were directly struck by the plane. Portland General reported that about 9,000 customers were without power as of Saturday afternoon.

The federal National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the cause of the crash, the FAA said. Gresham Fire said they are also conducting an investigation. 

Fairview is located about 15 miles east of downtown Portland.