A news helicopter operated for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 crashed Tuesday evening in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles, killing three people.

The Eurocopter AS350 went down shortly before 7 p.m. PDT between two commercial buildings near a storage facility, erupting in flames that damaged four vehicles and two containers. Los Angeles Fire Department officials reported three fatalities at the scene and two people transported to hospitals.

The victims included pilot George Marciniw and aerial photojournalist Eliana Moreno, both employees of operator Angel City Air. A pedestrian on the ground, identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner as Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, also died.

The helicopter had been providing live aerial coverage of an earlier collision between an SUV and a Metro bus that killed at least two people and injured six others. NBC4 and Telemundo 52 issued a joint statement expressing deep sadness and condolences to the families of those lost.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described the day as tragic for the city, noting the loss of five Angelenos across the two incidents. California Governor Gavin Newsom also extended thoughts to the victims' families and the NBC4 team.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the helicopter crash, with an investigator scheduled to arrive on scene Wednesday morning. No cause has been determined.

The bus collision occurred around 5 p.m., prompting multiple news helicopters to the area. The SUV driver was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with that crash.

Eliana Moreno had worked in aerial journalism for years and was familiar to viewers of both NBC4 and its Spanish-language partner station. Marciniw served as the pilot for the NewsChopper4 aircraft.