Drought, heat bring wildfire all too close to home

Odessa volunteer firefighters spent Sunday, the hottest day of the year 2015 so far, fighting two fires that started on the eastern outskirts of town, caused by downed power lines. Rural fire chief Roger Sebesta said the precise cause was still being investigated, but he suspected it had something to do with the extreme temperatures and the increased electrical loads due to air conditioners in use, irrigation pumps running, etc.

Spectators a serious hazard for firefighting crews

Nearly as dangerous as the fire itself was the traffic jam that developed at the intersections of Highway 28 with Do...