Two dead and buildings aflame after small plane crashes into Texas town

The pilot attempted to avoid houses as the plane went down, the local sheriff said

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.

A small plane crashed in Odessa, Texas, killing two people and sparking a fire that scorched several buildings and homes (City of Odessa)

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.

A small plane crash in Odessa, Texas set several buildings on fire, including the restaurant Dewey’s. Two people are dead and one woman has been hospitalized after her home caught on fire (City of Odessa)

“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.

Firefighters contained the fire sparked by the plane crash within hours, a local official said (City of Odessa)

“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.