A news helicopter belonging to Seattle TV station KOMO 4 crashed onto the street near the Space Needle landmark on Tuesday morning, killing two onboard and injuring a third person in a car on the ground.

At about 7:40 a.m. the helicopter was attempting to take off from the helipad on top of the news station's office, which is across from the Space Needle, when the helicopter dipped forward and crashed on Broad Street.

The helicopter crashed on one car. There was an explosion, and burning fuel leaked out and consumed a pickup truck and another car in flames.

The drivers of all three vehicles were able to escape, but the driver of one car had to be transported to Harborview Medical Center with burns over 50 percent of his body.

A huge plume of black smoke billowed from the burning fuel as it spread down Broad Street for about a block until firemen were able to contain it and prevent it from leaking into the sewer.

Fire crews extinguished the flames after a half-hour battle. The helicopter's fuselage had been completely incinerated, leaving only its tail section intact.

The bodies of the two occupants of the helicopter were left in the wreckage until investigators could examine the scene.

A woman from one of the two destroyed cars went to the police station. Fire investigators want to talk to the man who had been driving the pickup truck and left the scene.