Two men killed in a plane crash near Afton home

Two men died Saturday morning after their small plane crashed and burst into flames near a home in Afton, authorities said.

Several neighbors reported what sounded like a small explosion about 9:45 a.m. near the 15000 block of Afton Hills Boulevard S., according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

When emergency crews arrived, they found the plane on fire near an residential garage. Lower St. Croix Valley Fire Department firefighters extinguished the flames and discovered the bodies of the two men.

The families of the men — an 85-year-old from White Bear Lake and a 68-year-old from Baytown Township — were notified, but the victims’ identities weren’t expected to be immediately released, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman said.

FAA reports say the plane was a 1948 fixed-wing single-engine Globe GC-1B, registered to Macken Inc. in St. Paul.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash. No other details were available Saturday.