Update: (3/5 @ 7:50 a.m.)
The brush fire that was spared by plane crash in Manatee County Saturday afternoon is now out and State Road 64 is back open to traffic.
Investigators are still working to identify the two people who were killed in the plane crash.
Officials said no homes were damaged in the fire.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
Original Report:
Two people were killed after a small plane crashed in Manatee County Saturday afternoon, the Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies responded to an area near State Road 37, just north of State Road 62, about 1:30 p.m.
When they arrived, they found a burned twin-engine plane.
Don Williams and Paul Ballard say they witnessed the crash while riding their motorcycles.
"I looked up and I saw a plane coming down," said Williams. "A white private plane. It took a slow roll, went straight on down into the field. We all got off of our motorcycles, ran in to the area where the plane was."
The pilot and the passenger were both killed, deputies said.
The plane crash also sparked a 30-acre fire. SR-37 and SR-62 were closed as a result.
The National Transportation Safety Board was notified.
Investigators say they aren't sure where the pilot and passenger were headed. However, they say the plane took off from Sarasota, but did not file a flight plan.