A firefighter was killed and 11 others were injured in a possibly gas explosion that destroyed a home in Loudoun country, Virginia on Friday night.
According to the firefighter department, officials were called to a residence over a report of gas smell on Silver Ridge Drive after 7:30pm and an explosion followed about 30 minutes later.
The assistant chief of operations, Loudon Country Fire and Rescue, James Williams, stated that the blast happened when the fire and rescue team were still inside the house.
During a news conference, William said, "Soon after arrival, with firefighters inside, the house exploded,"
He further revealed that one firefighter was killed and nine firefighters and two civilians were taken to hospitals, most of them suffered minor to major injuries.
According to recent reports by Fox News, there is a lot of thick smoke and rubble in buildings, and also a large presence of law enforcement agencies at the fire incident spot.
Moreover, the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company stated in a post on X that its personnel had reacted to a complaint of a gas leak before the explosion.
"It’s a huge physical and emotional toll on everyone associated with the fire department. The people who are trapped, the rescuers that are going in to try to pull them out, the incident commander," Williams said.
The assistant chief also revealed that the cause of the blast is still under investigation. He further describes the damage to the house as destruction.
