A small medical plane crashed in a mountainous region outside Ruidoso, New Mexico , before dawn on Thursday, killing all four individuals aboard and igniting a wildfire in the surrounding forest, officials confirmed.

The blaze quickly expanded to 35 acres amid dry, windy conditions by midday, according to Lincoln County Manager Jason Burns.

Burns expressed significant concern about the fire, noting that local agencies were collaborating with the U.S. Forest Service to contain it.

The cause of the crash remains unknown.

The aircraft was located between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.…