Loudoun County, Virginia is mourning the loss of a firefighter.
Firefighter Trevor Brown, 45, died Friday in a “catastrophic” house explosion that also injured 11 other first responders and two civilians in Sterling, a town about 120 miles north of Richmond, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue said in a statement.
After receiving a 911 call from a resident about the smell of gas, crews arrived at the home Friday night to discover a 500-gallon underground propane tank and a leak on the side of the home.
“A short time later, units on scene reported a catastrophic explosion simultaneously with multiple fire hazards inside the residence,” Loudoun County Fire and Rescue said in a statement.
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“After receiving multiple calls for help, both fire and rescue crews worked to locate and rescue trapped members from the debris that covered them,” the statement continued.
After additional EMS crews from Loudoun and Fairfax counties rushed to the scene, 11 first responders with varying degrees of injuries and two civilians with non-life threatening injuries were transported to local hospitals for treatment. Four of them are in the hospital as of Saturday morning, according to the press release.
Brown was part of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company and had been with the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System since 2016.
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“We ask that Firefighter Brown’s family, friends and colleagues be in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time and we ask that the family’s privacy be respected,” Loudoun County Fire and Rescue added.
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The local fire office continues to investigate the origin and cause of the explosion and reassures local residents that “this is believed to be an isolated incident and there is no ongoing danger to the community.”
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