A helicopter crashed into a radio tower in Houston on Sunday night, erupting into a fireball and crashing to the ground — leaving several people dead, including a child, according to authorities.

The incident happened at 7:54 p.m. in Houston’s Greater East End, close enough to a fire station that firefighters there heard the crash, Houston Mayor John Whitmire (D) said late Sunday during a news conference. There were multiple fatalities, including a child, Whitmire said.

“We have a terrible accident scene,” Whitmire said.

The exact death toll was not immediately clear. Four people were aboard the helicopter, a privately owned Robinson R44, Police Chief J. Noe Diaz said at the news conference. The victims have not yet been identified, and their families have not been notified, Diaz said.

“This is a tragic event tonight; it’s a tragic loss of life,” Diaz said.

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Video taken at the scene following the crash showed large flames, which covered “a good two to three blocks,” Houston Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz said at the news conference.

The Houston Fire Department said the crash took place at Engelke Street and North Ennis Street, and preliminary information suggested the structure that was hit was a radio tower.

Whitmire said the damage and loss of life could have been worse because the crash happened near a butane tank and in a residential area. “We were very fortunate that it didn’t topple in one direction or another and the fireball pretty much was isolated,” he said.

According to preliminary information, no one was on the ground near the crash site, Diaz said. Muñoz said that no structures other than the tower were damaged, and that the fire was extinguished and did not pose a risk to the community.

Some residents experienced localized power outages as a result of the crash, Whitmire said.

Several state and federal agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, have opened an investigation into the crash.