Leaking underground propane tank found at Virginia home before deadly house explosion

STERLING, Va. — When firefighters arrived at a home in a Washington DC suburb on Friday evening to investigate a report of a gas odor, they discovered an underground 500-gallon propane tank with a leak on the side of the home.

A short time later, the house exploded and burst into flames, prompting multiple emergency calls from the firefighters trapped inside. Crews rushed in to rescue them from the rubble covering them, but one firefighter was killed and nine others were injured, Loudoun County fire and rescue officials said in a news release.

The origin and cause of the explosion are under investigation. Authorities did not say whether they believe the propane tank leak caused the explosion.

James Williams, assistant chief of operations, said the firefighters’ injuries ranged from minor to serious. Two other people were also injured and treated at hospitals for injuries that were not life-threatening.

Williams described the damage to the Sterling home as “total devastation.”

“There is a field of rubble far into the street and into the neighboring houses,” he said during a press conference on Friday.

Sterling is located approximately 22 miles northwest of Washington, DC

In a news release Saturday, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue said the emergency communications center received a 911 call reporting an odor of gas on Friday shortly after 7:30 p.m. After firefighters discovered the leak in the underground propane tank, they requested a hazardous materials response team and additional units and safety officials. The house exploded a short time later.

A neighbor, John Padgett, told ABC7 News that he had previously smelled gasoline while walking his dog.

The blast shook his house, he said.

“It looked like an inferno,” and the insulation from the burning house fell like ash, he added. “It was horrible; it looked like something from a war zone.”

Washington Gas issued a statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, saying it has company representatives on the scene and is assisting Loudoun County fire officials and other authorities in the investigation.

“We are verifying the integrity of our system in the environment,” the company said. “Our hearts go out to those who were injured and to the Loudoun County Fire Department for the loss of one of their own.”

The Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Fire Marshal’s Office was also on scene Saturday and is investigating the origin and cause of the explosion.

“This is believed to be an isolated incident and there is no ongoing danger to the community,” Loudoun County Fire and Rescue said in a statement.

The body of the deceased firefighter was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine the cause and manner of death.