First responders work the scene after what witnesses say was a plane crash in Philadelphia, Pa., Jan. 31. AP-Yonhap

A medical transport jet carrying a pediatric patient and five others slammed into a Philadelphia neighborhood about 30 seconds after taking off Friday, erupting in a fireball and engulfing several homes in fire.

Mayor Cherelle Parker said Wednesday night at a news conference that information on fatalities wasn't immediately known but several homes and vehicles had been damaged.

"This is still an active scene under investigation," she said.

A doorbell camera captured footage of the plane falling from the sky in a streak of white and exploding in a fireball as it hit the ground in a residential neighborhood near a shopping mall and major roadway.

"All we heard was a loud roar and didn't know where it was coming from. We just turned around and saw the big plume," said Jim Quinn, the owner of the doorbell camera.

The crash happened less than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights.

The plane, a Learjet 55, quickly disappeared from radar after taking off from the airport at 6:06 p.m. and climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet (487 meters). It was en route to Springfield, Missouri, and registered to a company operating as Med Jets, according to the flight tracking website Flight Aware.

The crash comes two days after the country's deadliest aviation disaster in almost a quarter century. An Army helicopter carrying three soldiers collided in midair Wednesday night in Washington, D.C., with an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. There were no survivors in that crash.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said he is offering all "Commonwealth resources as they respond to the small private plane crash in Northeast Philly."

First responders work the scene after a small plane crashed in Philadelphia, Pa., Jan. 31. AP-Yonhap

Flight data showed a jet taking off from the airport at 6:06 p.m. and disappearing from radar about 30 seconds later after climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet (487 meters).

The plane crashed in a busy intersection near Roosevelt Mall, an outdoor shopping center, where first responders blocked traffic, and onlookers crowded onto a street corner in the residential neighborhood of Rhawnhurst. Philadelphia's emergency management office said that roads are closed in the area.

One cell phone video taken by a witness moments after the plane crashed showed a chaotic scene with debris scattered across the intersection. A wall of orange glowed just beyond the intersection as a plume of black smoke quickly rose into the sky and sirens blared.

Michael Schiavone, 37, was sitting at his home in Mayfair, a nearby neighborhood, on Friday when he heard a loud bang and his house shook. He said it felt like a mini earthquake and when he checked his home security camera footage, he said it looked like a missile was coming down.

"There was a large explosion, so I thought we were under attack for a second," he said.

The plane's owner, Jet Rescue, provides global air ambulance services. The company, based in Mexico, flew baseball hall of famer David Ortiz to Boston after he was shot in the Dominican Republic in 2019 and was involved in transporting patients critically ill with COVID-19.

A message seeking comment was left with Jet Rescue's U.S. headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida.

The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation. The NTSB, which investigates air crashes, said it was gathering information about the crash. (AP)

Debris of the aircraft lies on the ground at the site of a plane crash in Philadelphia, Pa., Jan. 31. Reuters-Yonhap