According to authorities, two people on board were killed in a plane crash in Odessa, Texas, and a woman on the ground was injured

ODESSA, Texas (KTRK) – A small plane bound for Houston's Ellington Field encountered difficulties taking off from an airfield in Odessa, Texas, first striking power lines and crashing near a residential area of ​​the city, authorities said Tuesday.

Two people on board the plane, including a 48-year-old from the Houston area, died in the fiery crash, which the Ector County Sheriff and Odessa Fire Department reported at 7 a.m.

The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed that Joseph Vincent Summa of Bellaire and 49-year-old Joleen Cavaretta Weatherly of Orange were killed in the crash.

“Witnesses said the plane struggled to gain altitude, knocked out some power lines and eventually crashed,” Sheriff Mike Griffis told the ABC station in Odessa. “You can see the pilot was trying to avoid houses. One witness said he saw the plane struggling and then, upon impact, he heard an explosion, more explosions and felt the heat.”

Shortly after taking off from Schlemeyer Field in Odessa, the plane crashed in an alley, Griffis said, but still hit a mobile home. There, the crew rescued a woman who was later hospitalized with smoke inhalation.

According to the fire department, several caravans and storage buildings were on fire, but the emergency services had brought the fire under control.

ABC in Odessa reported, based on information from the Federal Aviation Administration, that the plane – a twin-engine Cessna – was registered to Summa, the CEO of two Pasadena-based companies: Techcorr USA and Summa Group. ABC said it had reached out to Techcorr representatives and was awaiting a response.

The sheriff said the American Red Cross had set up an emergency shelter for people who had to flee their homes as a result of the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board released a report on social media about its investigation into the crash of a Cessna Citation 550, but did not provide further details.