An explosion at a Virginia home on Friday night left one firefighter dead and 11 others injured, including nine firefighters, according to officials.
Videos of the site of the explosion shared on social media show scenes of total devastation, with a plume of smoke rising from the ground where the house used to be. In a clip shared by Fox 5 DC anchor and reporter Shomari Stone on X, formerly known as Twitter, firefighters can be seen looking through the rubble.
BREAKING: An explosion obliterates a home in Sterling, Virginia. Reports of several firefighters trapped inside. Fire crews on scene. I’m heading to the scene now and will bring you LIVE updates on @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/G09dNDz9fn
— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) February 17, 2024
The incident took place in Sterling, in Loudoun County. Firefighters were called to the house around 7:40 p.m. ET for an investigation and were on site when the building exploded, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue assistant chief of operation, James Williams, as reported by CNN.
Loudoun County Fire and Rescue confirmed the death of one of its members, writing on X: “It is with heavy heart that we announce the LODD of a LC-CFRS member in an incident that occurred earlier this evening. Fire and Rescue crews from Loudoun County, Fairfax County, and MWAA responded to a call for a gas leak on Silver Ridge Drive in Sterling.”
It is with heavy heart that we announce the LODD of a LC-CFRS member in an incident that occurred earlier this evening. Fire and Rescue crews from Loudoun County, Fairfax County, and MWAA responded to a call for a gas leak on Silver Ridge Drive in Sterling… cont. pic.twitter.com/eVM3opYVo4
— 𝑳𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒏 𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒖𝒆 (@LoudounFire) February 17, 2024
The department said firefighters entered the home and “as they were investigating, a catastrophic explosion occurred, injuring several responders from LCFR, SVFC, & Fairfax.” While the firefighter killed by the explosion was found dead on the scene, several others who were injured in the blast were transported to local hospitals for medical treatment, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue.
About three hours before the publication of this article, the department wrote that the site of the incident was considered an active scene with law enforcement and fire and rescue personnel investigating, together with the Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office.
The department has not yet disclosed the identity of the deceased firefighter as their next of kins are notified of their death.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with more details.
STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
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