Wtinesses say the KOMO news helicopter had just taken off from the station's rooftop when it suddenly went down hitting two vehicles. The crash happened near the Seattle Space Needle. Two people were killed, another person was rushed to the hospital, according to the Seattle Fire Department.

The chopper was taking off from a helipad on the KOMO-TV station's roof when it went down at a busy downtown intersection and hit three vehicles, starting them on fire and spewing burning fuel down the street.

Kristopher Reynolds, a contractor working nearby, said he saw the helicopter lift about 5 feet off the low-rise building before it started to tilt. The chopper looked like it was trying to correct itself when it took a dive.

"Next thing I know, it went into a ball of flames," he said.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said that in response to the crash, the city will review its policies about permitting helicopter pads.

He noted the normally bustling Seattle Center wasn't very busy at the time of the wreck on Broad Street. Had it been a busier day, "this would have been a much larger tragedy," Murray said.

The Seattle Center campus is home to the Space Needle, restaurants and performing arts centers; it hosts a number of festivals throughout the year that draw thousands of visitors.