The Virginia firefighter who lost his life in a deadly home explosion Friday night has been identified as Trevor Brown.
Brown, 45, was a volunteer with Sterling Volunteer Fire Company and had been working with county fire services since 2016.
The firefighter, along with the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Department, responded to a home in a suburb of Washington, D.C. to investigate reports of a gas odor.
First responders discovered a leaking 500-gallon underground propane tank on the side of the residence.
The house burst into flames shortly after the rescue team arrived, leaving at least 10 firefighters injured and one, now identified as Brown, dead.
The Virginia firefighter who lost his life in a deadly house fire Friday night has been identified as Trevor Brown.
The firefighter, along with the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Department, responded to a home in a suburb of Washington, D.C. to investigate reports of a gas odor.
Loudoun Fire and Rescue System Chief Keith Johnson previously reported that a total of 11 first responders were sent to hospitals with “varying degrees of injuries.”
On Saturday, Johnson spoke about Brown’s tragic death. “We lost a family member,” he said.
‘We lost one of our own. Frankly, we’re lucky there was only one fatality. Our people were in that house when it exploded. They did what they had to do.’
Brown was married and had three children.
Although investigators have not determined the cause of the explosion, the chief says they can “assume it was propane related.”
Shocking images and photographs capture the aftermath of the explosion, showing billowing clouds of smoke rising from the rubble.
Neighbors reported hearing a loud bang and feeling their homes shake, and some said their residences were also damaged, NBC and FOX5 reported.
‘There was a lot of smoke. There was debris falling from the sky,” Kyleigh Krishreck said, adding that she felt like something hit her house.
Neighbor John Padegett told the ABC: “The whole house shook. “It was a big explosion and luckily I had walked my dog before and I smelled gas.
The house burst into flames shortly after the rescue team arrived, leaving at least 10 firefighters injured and one, now identified as Brown, dead.
Neighbor John Padegett told the ABC: “The whole house shook. “It was a big explosion and luckily I had walked my dog before and I smelled gas.
“It looked like hell… it was horrible, it looked like something out of a war zone.” Padegett said.
‘Total devastation. There is a debris field on the street and in the neighborhood. “It’s a huge physical and emotional toll on everyone associated with the fire department,” Williams said.
Numerous photographs show fire trucks with extended ladders floating above the rubble as rescuers search through the rubble.