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Two people were killed when a plane crashed and caught fire in New Orleans East Friday afternoon, officials confirmed.

The plane went down in an empty field near the 7300 block of Jourdan Road, said Collin Arnold, the Director of New Orleans' Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

+6 Award-winning WVUE anchor Nancy Parker, trailblazing pilot killed in New Orleans plane crash Veteran New Orleans television anchorwoman Nancy Parker died in an airplane crash near Lakefront Airport Friday that also killed a veteran stu…

First-responders extinguished the blaze quickly, but "the accident appears to be quite catastrophic," he said, answering questions regarding attempts to rescue the people onboard, who have not yet been identified.

The scene was "under control," officials said about 3:44 p.m.

JUST IN: We were sent video of the fiery aftermath of a plane crash that killed two people in New Orleans East >> https://t.co/xeDShny1EB Source: Jane Caffrey #airplane #crash #lakefront #nola pic.twitter.com/4km4Sytf7X — wdsu (@wdsu) August 16, 2019

A video shared by WDSU-TV showed a large plume of smoke said to be caused by the crash.

The scene of the crash was less than a mile from Lakefront Airport, 6001 Stars and Stripes Boulevard.

“It looks like the plane is completely charred,” said Gerald Herbert, an Associated Press photographer who has a hangar at Lakefront Airport and was on the scene of the wreckage. He said that it appeared to be a red, bi-wing airplane, but that it was difficult to be certain as it was mostly burned.

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Arnold said officials would be "protecting and securing" the area, per the request of the Federal Aviation Administration, which is sending investigators from its Baton Rouge office. An investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive Saturday to begin an investigation.

Arnold could not confirm the status of the flight or what may have led to the crash.

"That will all be a part of the investigation," he said. "It's just a very tragic day."

This story will be updated.

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