Four people were killed Sunday afternoon when a plane crashed and burst into flames north of the runway at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, police said.

Fort Lauderdale Police said a twin-turbine propeller plane landed in a wooded area near the 2400 block of Northwest 62nd Street.

The Piper PA 31 aircraft was flying inbound to the airport and crashed into a nature preserve at about 4:30 p.m. after declaring an emergency, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The victims' names and the tail number of the plane were not immediately available.

Division Chief of Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Chantal Botting said firemen cut through a fence to gain access to the crash site and extinguished the fire within minutes.

Deputy Fire Chief Timothy Heiser said when firefighters arrived there was a large column of black smoke.

"Firefighters had to make their way through trees and brush to access the scene," Heiser said.

about 12 firefighters responded with two fire engines, an aircraft rescue team truck and two chief trucks.

Elyssa Service, 22, witnessed the crash while she was playing Ultimate Frisbee nearby.

"I heard it and then we looked over and there was smoke, and about 10 of us ran over there to help," said Service, who works as a flight attendant. "The smoke was too big, and by the time that we had gotten there, it was engulfed from the inside out."

Bavon Sylvain, 28, was running track on the nearby Calvary Christian Academy campus as the crash happened. He said he immediately got to his phone to record video of the cloud of smoke rising from the nature preserve.

The airport remained open Sunday evening, but Runway 13 was closed due to its proximity to the crash, said Heiser.

The plane did not hit any structures or people in the area, according to police.