The pilot of the helicopter that crashed near Seattle Center on Tuesday morning was a resident of Issaquah.

Gary Pfitzner, 59, was one of two men who died in the crash near the Space Needle. According to KOMO News, Pfitzner was a contract pilot for the news organization, and was also employed by the helicopter leasing company that operates the news chopper as well as a familiar sight to KOMO News employees.

“He always had a smile on his face,” said KOMO’s Molly Shen. “He loved what he did, loved to be able to fly and be up there above the city and see things from a perspective that most of us don’t get to see.”

Emergency personnel immediately rushed to the scene at the height of the morning commute.

The second man who died was Bill Strothman, 62, of Bothell, a longtime station photographer who worked as a contractor for KOMO.

Two cars and a pickup truck on Broad Street were struck in the crash. Occupants of two vehicles were able to escape without injury, but the driver of a third vehicle was badly burned.

Witnesses said the 38-year-old man could be seen running from his car with his clothing on fire, and he was extinguished by officers at the scene. Hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg says the man suffered burns on up to 20 percent of his body and likely will require surgery.

The helicopter exploded into a fireball on impact. Huge flames and thick plumes of black smoke poured from the blazing wreckage, about 50 yards from the base of the Space Needle.

Fuel gushing from the wreckage caught fire and burned for a block from the crash scene. Secondary explosions continued for several minutes afterward.

“Not only were the cars on fire, the fuel running down the street was on fire,” said Seattle Fire Department spokesman Kyle Moore.

Firefighters stopped the burning fuel from entering the sewer.