Odessa House Fire Investigated As Arson
By: Jenne Anderson
Updated: January 17, 2013
ODESSA-- Odessa resident Lynette Chesney held back tears as she recalled the terrible fire that destroyed parts of her neighbor's home along 46th street.
"I heard somebody say 'Get the kids out!'" said Chesney. "And I looked out my kitchen window and I saw flames coming out of that car."
Both the Odessa Fire and Ector County Sheriff Departments responded to the fire around 3:30 Wednesday morning.
And while the flames may be out, this case is far from over, as an investigator with the Sheriff Department digs deeper to find out how this fire started.
"We think it's an arson," stated Ector County Sgt. Gary Duesler. "And we have a specific arson investigator, David Linley. So now he's started the process of the investigation."
According to the fire report taken by the Odessa Fire Department, the homeowners say an intoxicated man tried to enter their home.
The man was quickly turned away, and that's when the residents discovered a couch in front of their home engulfed in flames.
Aside from extinguishing the flames on the home and the car, the Odessa Fire Department tells us one of the biggest challenges they faced, was moving a nearby oxygen tank away from the home to keep it from exploding.
"I kept thinking, 'Oh God, that stuff's going to explode, those bottles are going to explode, the car's going to explode, and then it's going to spread because these houses are so close together,''" said Chesney.
We're told 10 people, including a number of children, were inside the home when the fire started.
While no one was physically hurt, Chesney hopes the children won't be left emotionally scared.
"It was so close to them, and so close to the little girls and the little boy's room," explained Chesney. "I hope they're ok."
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"I heard somebody say 'Get the kids out!'" said Chesney. "And I looked out my kitchen window and I saw flames coming out of that car."
Both the Odessa Fire and Ector County Sheriff Departments responded to the fire around 3:30 Wednesday morning.
And while the flames may be out, this case is far from over, as an investigator with the Sheriff Department digs deeper to find out how this fire started.
"We think it's an arson," stated Ector County Sgt. Gary Duesler. "And we have a specific arson investigator, David Linley. So now he's started the process of the investigation."
According to the fire report taken by the Odessa Fire Department, the homeowners say an intoxicated man tried to enter their home.
The man was quickly turned away, and that's when the residents discovered a couch in front of their home engulfed in flames.
Aside from extinguishing the flames on the home and the car, the Odessa Fire Department tells us one of the biggest challenges they faced, was moving a nearby oxygen tank away from the home to keep it from exploding.
"I kept thinking, 'Oh God, that stuff's going to explode, those bottles are going to explode, the car's going to explode, and then it's going to spread because these houses are so close together,''" said Chesney.
We're told 10 people, including a number of children, were inside the home when the fire started.
While no one was physically hurt, Chesney hopes the children won't be left emotionally scared.
"It was so close to them, and so close to the little girls and the little boy's room," explained Chesney. "I hope they're ok."
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