One firefighter has died and nine more have been injured in a home explosion in northern Virginia’s Loudoun County on Friday night.
Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief of Operations James Williams provided details in a news briefing late Friday night.
He said that fire crews responded to a call about a home in the community of Sterling around 7:40 p.m. local time.
According to the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company, fire crews were called to Silver Ridge Drive for a gas leak.
Once the team of firefighters were inside the house, it exploded, said Mr. Williams, WUSA9 reported.
He said the explosion left “total devastation.”
Nine other firefighters and two civilians were transported to area hospitals with injuries of varying severity.
“The nine firefighters have some serious injuries, as well as some less severe injuries,” Mr. Williams said.
“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,” Mr. Williams said.
The identity of the deceased firefighter has not been released at this time.
Reports emerged that some firefighters were “trapped by debris.” Audio circulating online includes what appears to be two firefighters calling “mayday, mayday, mayday” over the radio.
A responding voice states that two firefighters were “unconscious” and “trapped in the basement.”
A third voice calls: “I have one D.O.A. in the front yard,” using the acronym for dead on arrival.
Aerial footage from CBS affiliate WUSA-TV captured the aftermath, showing extensive debris scattered across the explosion site.
Intense flames and billowing smoke reached hundreds of feet into the air.
The circumstances leading up to the explosion remain unclear.
Mr. Williams declined to speculate on the cause. An investigation is underway.
As of now, there is no confirmation regarding any damage to surrounding homes.
