Crane County fires

CRANE COUNTY Volunteer fire crews could just stand back and watch as the flames grow on a ranch 20 miles north of Crane.

Crane County Volunteer Fire Chief Gary Collier said a fire at the J Bar Ranch, 20 miles north of Crane on County Road 1601, began around 8 p.m. Thursday.

A Crane County Sheriff's Office deputy said he wasn't certain on the amount of acres burned in the fire.

Collier said multiple volunteer fire crews were unable to get to the fire because of many sand dunes.

"It's all we can do," Crane County Volunteer Fire Department chief Gary Collier said. "The trucks can't make it to the fire because it's too sandy."

Collier said the McCamey Volunteer Fire Department was first on the scene but didn't get close to the blaze.

"They sent two trucks and got stuck in the sand," he said. "They got unstuck around two hours later."

The volunteer fire chief said the limited access to the fire left him a headache.

"It's very frustrating," he said. "You want to put out this fire but you can't because the trucks won't make it."

Jim Blain, owner of the K Bar Ranch, said the fire also got to his land.

Blain said he's fighting a losing battle with the elements.

"This is the eighth fire we've had at the ranch this year," Blain said. "You can't do anything about the fires. It's just mother nature."

Collier said no structures were threatened in the blaze.

Closer to town another burned aggressively Thursday on the McElroy Ranch, about 12 miles north of town on Highway 385. That fire poured a plume of smoke into the air that was visible from Odessa.