Three Afghan refugees died over the weekend when the small plane they were in collided with power lines in Independence, Oregon.

Pilot Mohammad Musawi, 35, and passengers Mohammad Safdari, 35, and Ali Ferdawsi, 29, flew out of McMinnville Municipal Airport and were headed for Independence State Airport under foggy conditions, the Independence Police Department said in a post on Facebook.

At around 4:55 p.m. Saturday, the plane, a single-engine Cessna C172 collided with power lines, causing an outage, a small brush fire and the deaths of the three men, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

“You could almost immediately see the fire as soon as we walked outside because the field caught on fire as soon as the plane crashed. The electricity was still popping, and you could see it every five or 10 minutes. You could hear the transformers, the electrical line just lighting up the sky with blue plasma,” local resident Aaron Forbes told Portland NBC affiliate KGW.

No one else was injured, and the unnamed owner of the plane was not on board at the time of the crash, police said.

“My heart goes out to the deceased and the pain their families are experiencing — our entire department mourns with you during this time,” Independence Police Chief Robert Mason said in a statement.

The crash is being investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.

The victims had been resettled in the Salem, Oregon, area by the Salem for Refugees nonprofit organization. All three participated in a training program for pilots.

“The Afghan community in Salem is devastated by this shocking loss. They are caring for each other, and Salem for Refugees and its partners are committed to supporting their families, friends and relatives,” the group wrote in a post on Facebook.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.