1 firefighter killed, 10 more injured in 'catastrophic' house explosion

A firefighter was killed and 10 others injured when a house in Virginia exploded while they were responding to a gas leak, authorities said.

Firefighters responded to the home in Sterling around 7:48 p.m. Friday after a resident reported smelling gas, according to Keith Johnson,

A 500-gallon underground propane tank on the side of the house was leaking gas into the home, he said.

SkyTrak7 is at the scene of a massive home explosion in Sterling, Virginia on February 16, 2024.

Nearly 40 minutes after arriving at the scene, there was a "catastrophic explosion" while firefighters were inside the house working the emergency, Johnson said.

"That was somewhat chaotic as we tried to figure out how many firefighters were trapped under the debris," Johnson said at a press briefing on Saturday.

https://www.virginia.gov/