A small plane carrying six people crashed into a Utah backyard on Saturday afternoon, sending fireballs more than hundreds of feet into the air. 

Officials, who rushed at the scene of the accident, said three people died, while the rest of the passengers suffured injuries.

According to the West Jordan Police Department, a nine-month-old baby, a woman and the pilot died when the plane crashed in a residential section of a West Jordan neighborhood, as reported by USA Today.

Authorities are withholding names until the victims' next of kin are notified. Officer Jennifer Worthen, a spokeswoman for the police department, did not disclose specifics during the news conference. 

According to a report by The New York Times, the plane crashed into the backyard of two homes in small Utah neighborhood. Authorities responded to a call about the crash around 1:40 p.m. At least one home caught on fire following the incident. Three other houses were damaged, but police did not release information about how extensive the damages were. 

Police eventually reported more persons suffering from burns and other life-threatening injuries. Police said an unnamed female victim is in critical condition, while a two-year-old child is in stable condition. Another child was released from the hospital after receiving medical attention. It is unclear whether the victims were passengers of the Piper PA-32. 

An older woman, whose house at 8691 S. 3780 West was caught in the crash, is in critical condition. Joe Murillo, who claims he is the 72-year-old woman's brother, said the victim suffered burns. Her home, which she had been living in for more than two decades, allegedly took the brunt of the crash. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the Piper PA-32 had taken off from South Valley Regional Airport at around 1:30 p.m. The airport, which is located in Salt Lake City, is less than five miles from the crash site. Officers working with the FAA said they are collaborating with the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate what led to the crash. 

West Jordan Mayor Dirk Burton said neighbors rushed to the crash site to help the woman and other people out of their homes. Many of the victims had to be airlifted to nearby hospitals.

Worthen praised the community for helping people out of their homes and out of the plane. Terry Robinson, a 68-year-old resident, called 911 immediately after the crash. 

"It is scary," she said. "You could see the fire go up in the air and then it was just black smoke."

The neighborhood is about 40 years old. Most of the residents are the original homeowners. Following the crash, neighbouring communities, including South Jordan, helped. 

Small planes from the nearby international airport often fly over the area. While few had crashed in the area before, none had caused extensive damage to the homes.