Multiple calls for an emergency plane came in around 6:30 pm, Monroe County Sheriff Todd K. Baxter said at a news conference.
“According to the 911 reports … there were noises of sputtering, the sound of an engine, and the plane flying very low, lower than normal,” Baxter said.
First responders arrived to find a helicopter on fire.
“They went into life-saving mode and tried to save anyone who might be on the plane or in the area,” Baxter said, adding that the debris field is now expanding a few city blocks, or about 30 meters in each direction.
The helicopter was a UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter. The incident is under investigation, the Military and Marine Affairs Department said, adding that no further information was immediately available.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office will conduct a preliminary investigation into the crash, Baxter said. His office will then turn the investigation over to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Guard.
“This is a heavy, heavy burden for all of us. These are our providers of freedom … We lost three brave Americans today in the service of our country,” Baxter said.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement that he was “devastated” by the deaths of the soldiers.
“Members of the National Guard are our civilian soldiers who voluntarily serve and protect, both here and abroad, and I offer prayers and condolences from all New Yorkers to the family, loved ones and fellow soldiers of these honorable heroes we will never forget . “
The governor lowered flags on all state buildings to half-staff on Thursday to honor the victims.
CNN’s Sonia Moghe contributed to this report.