Fires South Of Odessa Force Evacuations
By: Mycah Glover
Updated: April 27, 2011
ECTOR COUNTY -- Fire crews battled a fast-moving grass fire near Paw Paw Street and Jasper Avenue in the Pleasant Farms area south of Odessa Tuesday evening. All residents in the area were asked to evacuate their homes.
Several roads in the area were shut down. Paw Paw Street was one of the first to close, and all roads south of Apple were also closed in the area. U.S. 385 was closed between Pleasant Farms and Crane, as the fire jumped U.S. 385 and raced east.
U.S. 385 has since been reopened.
Residents in the area between U.S. 385, Diamond Avenue, Paw Paw Street and Conestoga Lane were asked to evacuate Tuesday night. Evacuees were told to head south along U.S. 385. Emergency Management Crews were working with the Red Cross to set up a shelter for the evacuees. No one has been injured so far.
Big 2's crew on the scene said several homes were burned within hours.
One resident who was trapped inside her home in the 7100 block of Hackberry around 6:45 PM Tuesday made it out of that home safely. But another home across the street from there was quickly fully involved.
Crews from West Odessa, City of Odessa, South Ector County, Midland County, Midland, Department of Public Safety, Goldsmith, Gardendale and the Ector County Sheriff's office were at the scene.
Meanwhile, another fire was burning in the western part of Crane Tuesday night. TX 329 was closed west of Crane, and several homes on the west side of Crane were evacuated. A nursing home there was also evacuated.
Those fires were still not contained late Tuesday night.
Several roads in the area were shut down. Paw Paw Street was one of the first to close, and all roads south of Apple were also closed in the area. U.S. 385 was closed between Pleasant Farms and Crane, as the fire jumped U.S. 385 and raced east.
U.S. 385 has since been reopened.
Residents in the area between U.S. 385, Diamond Avenue, Paw Paw Street and Conestoga Lane were asked to evacuate Tuesday night. Evacuees were told to head south along U.S. 385. Emergency Management Crews were working with the Red Cross to set up a shelter for the evacuees. No one has been injured so far.
Big 2's crew on the scene said several homes were burned within hours.
One resident who was trapped inside her home in the 7100 block of Hackberry around 6:45 PM Tuesday made it out of that home safely. But another home across the street from there was quickly fully involved.
Crews from West Odessa, City of Odessa, South Ector County, Midland County, Midland, Department of Public Safety, Goldsmith, Gardendale and the Ector County Sheriff's office were at the scene.
Meanwhile, another fire was burning in the western part of Crane Tuesday night. TX 329 was closed west of Crane, and several homes on the west side of Crane were evacuated. A nursing home there was also evacuated.
Those fires were still not contained late Tuesday night.
