Plane crashes into west Texas mobile home park, killing 2 and setting homes ablaze

A plane crashed into an alleyway in west Texas on Tuesday morning, killing two people on board, injuring others and burning mobile homes to the ground.

The crash happened around 7 a.m. in Odessa, causing multiple structure fires, according to Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis. Fire crew rescued a woman from a burning mobile home, and she was taken to a hospital.

"Witnesses have said that they saw the plane struggling to get altitude, clipped power lines and ultimately crashed in the alleyway," Griffis told reporters. "There was a large fire after some explosions."

Witnesses saw the plane moving away from some houses before crashing, Griffis said, adding that it's "obvious the pilot attempted to avoid the houses."

The cause of the crash is under investigation, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

An entire block damaged

The small aircraft traveled nearly an entire block before hitting the ground, Odessa Fire Chief Jason Cotton said at a news conference.

Several vehicles, shops, outbuildings, storages and backyards were damaged, Cotton added. Fire crews have controlled the blaze.

The aircraft was a Cessna Citation business jet that took off from the Odessa-Schlemeyer Field Airport before crashing into the mobile home park, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The NTSB and the FAA will investigate the cause of the crash.