DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Fire officials say two people died when their plane crashed into DeKalb County townhomes Wednesday morning.

The crash happened at the Clairmont Hills Townhouses on Peachwood Circle at 10:30 a.m.

The FAA confirms the Piper PA-28 crashed shortly after departure from Runway 21 Left at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.

[DOWNLOAD: WSB-TV's News App for updates on this breaking news story]

Fire Capt. Deon Bentley said the two people onboard the plane died. No one inside the townhome complex at the time of the crash.

[PHOTOS: Plane crashes into DeKalb County townhome]

The DeKalb County fire marshal declared six units in the townhome complex unsafe to live in. The declaration was made due to structural damage and fuel vapor.

Channel 2's Audrey Washington said she found pieces of the plane about 500-feet away from the crash scene.

Channel 2's Aaron Diamant was one of the first reporters at the scene as emergency crews gathered and responded to the crash site.

Weather was not good at time of crash

Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Brian Monahan said visibility at the time of the crash was around 3 miles. The ceiling (cloud base) was just 400 feet.

Officials have not determined what caused the plane to go down.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.

Witnesses describe the crash

There were many people in the area who saw and heard the plane go down.

David Youngpeter lives near the crash scene and said he felt the crash.

"I actually felt the reverberation from the impact at which point I came outside," Youngpeter said. "The first thing is it didn't look like a plane because there's nothing left. It must have been a very small plane."

Neighbor Stephan Kohou said he will never forget this day.

"I would never imagine something like that happening and it's really sad," Kohou said.

Neighbor Jared Hauck said he raced out his home when he heard the crash.

"I was very surprised, because I actually walked out my front door and there's a piece of a plane sitting in front of the door," Hauck said. "It really could have just as easily been me. I mean, it must have broken apart in the trees directly in front of my townhouse."

Cox Media Group