Two dead and buildings aflame after small plane crashes into Texas town
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Two people are dead and multiple buildings are on fire after a plane crashed in western Texas.
A Cessna Citation business jet crashed early Monday morning in Odessa, Texas, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The plane was taking off from the Odessa-Schlemeyer Field Airport but struggled to gain altitude, Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said.
Two people who were on board the plane are dead, Griffis said. Officials have yet to release further details on the passengers.
Several buildings including mobile homes, storage facilities and a restaurant, burst into flames following the crash. The fire, which impacted an entire block, was contained within hours, Griffis said.
One woman was injured after her mobile home caught on fire. She was rescued and taken to the local hospital. Her condition is unknown.
“There was a large fire after some explosions, witnesses have said that they saw the plane struggling to get altitude, clipped power lines…ultimately crashed in the alleyway,” Griffis said.
“It’s obvious the pilot attempted to avoid the houses,” he continued.
Photos of the crash site shared by city officials showed burning vehicles, charred signs and damaged power lines. However, just 22 energy customers are without power in Ector County, according to PowerOutage.us.
“We spoke to an individual that was working just adjacent west of the crash, and he advised that he observed the plane struggling to gain altitude,” Griffis added.
“He noticed it, and then he said, upon impact and the explosion, they felt the heat wave over there at their job site, and then there was another subsequent explosion,” he continued.
The Red Cross has also established a local shelter for those whose homes were damaged by the crash.
Odessa is a city of 110,000 people in western Texas near the New Mexico border. The town is a roughly five-hour drive from both San Antonio and Austin.
