Firefighters inspect the ruins of a vintage plane that crashed in a Nashville, Tennessee, neighborhood, killing the pilot and a passenger

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) -- A small vintage plane crashed between two houses, slid down a busy street and burst into flames in a Nashville neighborhood Saturday morning, killing the pilot and a passenger.

No one on the ground was hurt, which fire officials said was a miracle given the dense population of the area. The crash scene was also just a few blocks from a crowded farmers' market.

"Thank God for giving them the guidance to land in an area where it didn't affect any other people," said Nashville Fire Lt. Mark Cohen.

The pilot, a man in his 50s, died at the scene. A passenger, slightly younger, was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital, Cohen said. An ambulance crew witnessed the crash and immediately responded.

The identities of the victims were not released, pending notification of next of kin. The origin and destination of the plane were not immediately clear.

The crash occurred about 11 a.m. (12 p.m. EDT) as the plane circled the historic Germantown neighborhood. It clipped trees before crashing between two houses and sliding down 6th Avenue North.

The fuselage, which burst into flames, came to rest against a building at a busy intersection. Debris was scattered for half a block.

Nashville Police Chief Emmett Turner said the plane appeared to be "some kind of old military plane, maybe a Navy fighter from World War II."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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