12,000 acres burns

A Saturday investigation into a Friday night wildfire in north Odessa shows weather likely caused the blaze.

West Odessa Volunteer Fire Chief Jimmy Ellis said a fire that began at 10 p.m. Friday burned about 12,000 acres. Ellis said the fire was extinguished by 4:15 a.m. Saturday.

Ellis said the fire, which burned from the intersection of north Loop 338 and Highway 385 to Cottonwood Avenue, might have been caused by lightning around the area.

Units from the Odessa Fire Department, Midland Fire Department, West Odessa and South Odessa and Gardendale volunteer fire departments were on scene to battle the blaze that was north of Sunset Apartments at 91st Street and Andrews Highway.

There was a very large crowd on the side of North Highway 385 watching the fire grow. At about 11:15 p.m. Friday, fire officials on scene were calling for Texas Department of Safety troopers and sheriff's deputies to shut down Highway 385 for lack of visibility. Crews were working to keep the flames from crossing Cottonwood Road near Gardendale.

Alex Garcia, 25, said he stopped on the side of the road to make sure nobody was injured in the fire.

"I almost wrecked, because I saw it and just jerked my steering wheel," Garcia said. "I turned off into a service road and just made sure there was nobody hurt."

There were no injuries or buildings damaged during the fire, fire officials said.