STERLING, Va. β Firefighters say a 500-gallon underground propane tank was leaking before a home exploded in Sterling, leaving multiple people injured and one firefighter dead Friday night.
According to the Loudoun County Fire Department, crews were called to the home on Silver Ridge Drive shortly after 7:30 p.m. for reports of the smell of gas outside the home. Upon arrival, firefighters found the underground propane tank with a leak on the side of the property. The propane from that leak had migrated into the home.
After assessing the situation outside, officials say the firefighters entered the home with the appropriate PPE.
Crews called for Loudoun Countyβs Hazardous Materials Response Team, as well as additional units from Sterling, South Riding, and numerous command staff and safety officers. However, less than 40 minutes after crews arrived, the house exploded while firefighters were inside.
The two occupants of the home and their pets had already been evacuated when the home exploded.
In a press conference late Friday night, Assistant Chief of Operations for Loudoun County Fire and Rescue James Williams said the explosion left "total devastation."
Multiple maydays, a distress signal used to report when a firefighter is lost, trapped, injured, or missing, were placed following the catastrophic explosion. Rescue crews began to search through the rubble to find the trapped firefighters under the debris that covered them.
Ultimately one firefighter was killed in the explosion. Officials identified the fallen firefighter as 45-year-old Trevor Brown, of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company. Brown joined Sterling VFC in 2016. He leaves behind a wife and three children. The fallen firefighter's body was taken, with full honors and an escort, to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine how he died.
Ten other firefighters were taken to area hospitals with injuries that span from minor to severe, according to Assistant Chief Williams. Two civilians were also taken to a hospital for help and have since been released.
In a press conference Saturday morning, Loudoun Co. System Chief Keith Johnson provided an update saying four of the firefighters remain hospitalized with varying degrees of injuries. All four are expected to survive.
Those injured include two career firefighters, two Sterling VFC firefighters, and one Fairfax County firefighter. Johnson said all firefighters were accounted for by 9:15 p.m., roughly 50 minutes after the explosion.
"This is the worst call we could respond to, and this is a time where we need to support each other and hold each other up," Williams said when asked about the firefighters Friday night.
"We appreciate the continued support of the community and our public safety partners during this incredibly difficult time," the fire department said in a press release Saturday morning. "Please keep our Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System members, their friends, families, and all those involved in your thoughts."
Sky9 launched and gave an aerial view of the scene, which showed smoke and a huge debris field where the structure once stood. Williams said the debris field goes well into the street.
Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Fire Marshal's Office is still at the property where the house was leveled to investigate the origin of the explosion. They believe it to be an isolated incident with no danger to the community.
"We do not have any complete cause of the fire, we can assume it was propane-related but no complete cause has been initiated," Johnson explained. He later added, "We don't know what caused the explosion, certainly any ignition source will cause an explosion if there's a level of gas."
Washington Gas put out a statement on the explosion on Friday night.
"Washington Gas is on the scene and assisting the Loudoun County Fire and other authorities as the fire remains under investigation. We are verifying the integrity of our system in the surrounding area. Our hearts go out to those who were injured and to the Loudoun County Fire Department for the loss of one of their own."
Johnson praised the actions of the homeowner who called 911 after smelling the gas, saying she did the right thing.
"She called 911, she's alive today because she did," He said.
The leaking propane tank was isolated to the home and Johnson said there is no expectation that this is a widespread issue. Johnson added that it is not uncommon to have a propane tank of that size supplying a home.
"Part of our investigation will be to figure out why this gas seeped out of the tank," Johnson said. "Why it went into the home and why it, quite frankly, it exploded the home."
Johnson said part of the investigation into the explosion will include a Significant Incident Investigation Team which will look at all aspects of the explosion and response.
"What we did right, what we could have done better and that will be joined by members outside Loudoun County Fire and Rescue to get an objective look at our investigation," Johnson explained.
This is the second time a home exploded in the commonwealth in less than three months. In December 2023, a home exploded in Arlington, just 30 minutes away from Sterling, shortly after officials said a man fired a flare gun inside the home 30-40 times. The moment that home exploded was captured on camera and shared across the country.
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