Denver Mid air collision
DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- Two small planes collided Friday night, killing all four aboard, with one of the aircraft slamming into a home in northwest Denver and bursting into flames, officials said.
Larry Trujillo, a spokesman for the Denver Fire Department, said there were two victims aboard each plane. Four others on the ground were treated and released from a hospital, although it was not clear exactly how they were injured, Trujillo said.
The aircraft were identified as a Cessna 172 Skyhawk and a Piper Cheyenne, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown in Washington.
One of the four people hurt included a firefighter, who received minor injuries when one of the planes blew up after impact.
After the crash, the two planes plummeted to the ground, scattering debris across the Denver neighborhood. One crashed into a home, virtually leveling it, and the other landed a few blocks south, in the backyard of another home.
Denver Police spokeswoman Virginia Lopez said no one was in the home at the time of the crash, about 5:15 p.m. MST (7:15 p.m. EST).
One witness said he saw one of the planes spinning and flipping upside down before slamming into the ground.
"It was horrifying. I've never seen anything like this," he said.
Emergency crews cordoned off the crash sites. Lopez said jet fuel was leaking and urged residents to stay away.
"We have no clues as to how this happened," she added.