Two dead and four injured as rescue helicopter bursts into flame in midair and plummets to ground in Pompano, Florida

TWO people have died and four others injured after a harrowing helicopter crash that saw the aircraft catch fire in midair and spiral out of control before crashing into an apartment complex.

The chopper went down at around 8.45am on Monday in Pompano Beach, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale.

Dramatic video posted on Facebook captured the moment a trail of smoke billowed from the Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue helicopter in midair before flames began shooting out of it.

The chopper then began to spiral before it crashed to the ground, destroying the roof of an apartment complex.

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Footage from local news outlet WSVN showed several fire rescue trucks on the crash site putting out the flames.

The roof of a home in the area had a large, gaping hole with burning debris visible.

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Three crew members were on board the chopper when it went down.

Captain and Flight Paramedic Terryson Jackson was killed in the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board revealed.

A second person on the ground also died in the accident.

The two other crew members were transported to the hospital in unknown condition, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.

Two residents who were in one of the apartment complexes were also injured.

A family living in the building recalled the harrowing incident when the chopper landed in their living room where two people were staying.

"My brother was in my mom's house. They're at the hospital right now," the family member told WSVN.

"The [police] said they're OK, but I haven't spoken to them. It's hard. Our family has been through a lot. We just lost our mom in October and little brother just the year before, so for this to be happening right now, it feels like something on our family.

"I'm just gonna pray with my family and my siblings so that we can pull through and make the best out of this."

Local resident Brian Piggott was out for a walk when he witnessed the chopper crash into a building near the airport.

Piggott said he witnessed the helicopter take off and minutes later it seemed to lose altitude as a trail of smoke followed behind it before crashing, according to South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

The aircraft crashed a few blocks from the Broward County School District.

Authorities have shut down North Dixie Highway between Northeast Fifth Street and Northeast 10th Street as they work to clear the scene.

Broward Sheriff's officials are asking drivers to avoid the area.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of the crash.