Fire officials in Loudoun County, Virginia, confirmed Sunday that they found remains at the scene of a three-alarm fire that broke out early Friday.
Fire officials in Loudoun County, Virginia, confirmed Sunday that they found remains at the scene of a three-alarm fire that broke out early Friday.
The remains were found when the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Fire Marshal’s Office was investigating the cause of the blaze at the 20000 block of Riptide Square in Sterling.
Investigators said that because the spread of the fire happened so fast, it hindered firefighter access to the scene. Several structural collapses were also reported.
The fire impacted two townhomes and damaged a third, according to a news release. Eight residents were displaced by the fire and several are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross.
It took crews about an hour of firefighting before the fire could be controlled enough to allow for salvage and overhaul operations.
Units from nine stations in Loudoun County, as well as firefighters from Fairfax County and multiple command and safety officers, responded to the scene Friday morning.
One firefighter was transported to be examined for a minor injury, according to the release.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is currently investigating the cause of death of the person found in the fire.
Below is a map of where the fire occurred.
(Courtesy Google Maps)
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As of Thursday morning, 33 people were taken to area hospitals, five of which are in serious condition and 17 are in serious but non-life-threatening condition.
At least 33 people were sent to the hospital Wednesday night after being exposed to a chemical leak of ammonia inside a Sterling, Virginia, food processing plant.
Loudoun County Fire and Rescue spokeswoman Laura Rinehart confirmed with WTOP that officials were called to the Cuisine Solutions facility on Sous Vide Lane around 8:30 p.m. on reports of a gas leak.
As of Thursday morning, 33 people were taken to area hospitals, five of which are in serious condition and 17 are in serious but non-life-threatening condition.
Officials originally announced Wednesday night that 26 people were sent to the hospital. At least four of the people exposed to the chemical were “experiencing significant symptoms,” the rescue agency said in a post on X.
The Center for Disease Control says that breathing in air contaminated with high levels of ammonia can irritate your skin, eyes, throat, and lungs. Long term exposure can cause a burning sensation, permanent blindness, and lung damage.
In serious cases, ammonia exposure can kill you. Most people can smell the pungent fumes from the chemical, but someone who has been exposed to higher than normal amounts of ammonia for a long time may not be able to sense the chemical.
INCIDENT ALERT: At approximately 8:36 p.m., the Loudoun County ECC received a 9-1-1 call reporting a gas leak inside a commercial building in the 22400 block of Sous Vide Lane in Sterling… cont. @Chief600KJpic.twitter.com/X7XzT9Eiwz
Authorities are still trying to determine exactly how many people have been exposed and require medical attention.
A leaking valve was the cause of the exposure, Rinehart said.
Loudoun County Fire and Rescue said the leak has been contained and that there is no ongoing threat to the surrounding community. Employees arriving to the facility are being told “no work” is available Thursday morning as security limits access to the plant.
Cuisine Solutions makes prepared meals for airline catering companies and restaurants at the facility, thus the name of the street: Sous Vide Lane.
WTOP’s Neal Augenstein, Terik King and Emily Venezky contributed to this report.
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The warehouse fire in Sterling, Virginia, that sent black smoke billowing into the sky Monday afternoon has been deemed an accident by Loudoun County Fire and Rescue.
A warehouse fire broke out Monday afternoon in Sterling, Virginia, sending black smoke into the sky that was visible from miles away. (Courtesy Loudoun County Fire and Rescue)
The warehouse fire in Sterling, Virginia, that sent black smoke billowing into the sky and triggered a significant emergency response Monday afternoon has been deemed an accident, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue.
Fire officials said the cause of the fire, which caused estimated damages of $2.25 million, was “improper discarding of smoking materials.”
Just after 3 p.m. on Monday, firefighters were called to a facility in the 100 block of Acacia Lane, according to the department. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire after two-and-a-half hours. One responding firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion at the scene of the fire, but no one else was injured, according to the fire department and Virginia State Police.
“Upon arrival, fire and rescue personnel found a large warehouse facility with fire through the roof. Initial crews identified the primary building was a total loss and began working to contain the fire to the building of origin,” the department said in a news release. “The fire was extremely difficult to extinguish due to the burning of the stored materials and the size of the warehouse.”
Loudoun County fire officials have offered the following tips to help prevent these kinds of fires:
Smoke outside.
Ensure cigarettes are fully extinguished, every time.
Ensure smoking materials are discarded in appropriate containers and clean them often. Never use plastic, potted plants, mulch, grass, leaves, or anything that can burn to extinguish smoking materials.
Soak cigarette butts and ashes in water before throwing them away.
Use a deep, sturdy ashtray and be sure it is placed on a surface where it will not tip over.
Place containers away from any structure, never on front porches, decks, or just outside the door.
Ensure you have working smoke alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas.
Below is a map of where the fire occurred:
WTOP’s Thomas Robertson and Ana Golden contributed to this report.
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Firefighters are on the scene working to put out any hotspots, as of 6:15 p.m., according to a social media post from the department.
One responding firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion at the scene of the fire. No one else was injured in the blaze, according to fire department and Virginia State Police.
Listeners reported to WTOP they could see smoke from miles away, including at Dulles International Airport, more than three miles away from the source of the blaze. In a post on X, the airport said the smoke was not affecting operations there.
One of the firefighters who was injured in the home explosion that killed a volunteer firefighter in Sterling, Virginia, has been released from the hospital.
A home explosion Friday night in Sterling, Virginia, killed a volunteer firefighter and injured 10 others. (Courtesy Loudoun Fire Rescue)
A home explosion Friday night in Sterling, Virginia, killed a volunteer firefighter and injured 10 others. (Courtesy Loudoun Fire Rescue)
Police tape remained around where a house once stood in the residential neighborhood on Silver Ridge Drive Monday morning.
The fire department and fire marshal, in addition to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, continue to investigate the cause of the explosion.
Two people who lived in the home, as well as some pets, were evacuated before the explosion, according to Loudoun Fire.
Trevor Brown, 45, of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Department was killed in the explosion. He had been affiliated with the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System since 2016.
On its Facebook page, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue posted a link to the Loudoun First Responders Foundation for donations for the firefighters: “To designate your donation specifically to the family of Firefighter Trevor Brown, please add ‘Brown Family’ in memo line, if not specified, your donations will benefit injured firefighters.”
Funeral plans for Brown are being finalized by the Sterling fire department, Loudoun officials said on Sunday.
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A chimney is the only part left standing of a house on Silver Ridge Drive in Sterling, Virginia, where a home explosion killed a volunteer firefighter.
Debris is scattered across Silver Ridge Drive neighborhood after a house exploded Friday night, killing a firefighter and injuring 10 others.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
Much like the debris, the impact of the blast itself reached neighbors.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
Insulation from the house that exploded made its way to other neighbors’ yards.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
The two occupants of the house were treated for minor injuries and have been released.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
On Saturday morning, scraps of insulation and wood framing were still strewn about the block.
Much like the debris, the impact of the blast itself reached neighbors. Chris Voloshin, who lives six houses down the street from the home that exploded, said “it felt like the house was falling down on” him and his family.
“We walked around the corner and we saw the house all in flames,” he told WTOP, adding that the insulation made its way to his yard. “Couldn’t believe that that’s what we heard and that’s what we felt.”
Ron Milligan lives about three-quarters of a mile from the house that exploded, but said the blast woke him up.
“I bolted upright, not sure what to do,” he said.
Another neighbor, Susan Sheridan, was in the kitchen when the blast happened. She said the ground shook like there was an earthquake, but “the noise was what was really astonishing.”
“I’ve never heard a bomb, but I imagine that’s what they sound like,” she said.
A leaking propane tank
Firefighters first got to the scene around 7:40 p.m. Friday, after receiving calls about a gas leak that could be smelled across the neighborhood, Fire Systems Chief Keith Johnson said at a news conference Saturday morning.
Sheridan said she never smelled the gas leak. However, she said she knew the community member who called the fire department about the gas odor, and noted that crews were checking the neighborhood for “an hour or more” before isolating the origin.
The fire department’s investigation is ongoing, but Johnson said he believes the explosion was related to a 500-gallon underground propane tank that crews found leaking into the home.
The explosion happened around 8:25 p.m., Johnson said.
“Luckily, the two occupants of the home were removed by firefighters upon our arrival, as well as some of the pets,” Johnson said. “We can credit our firefighters for the removal of those citizens.”
Johnson said it was “somewhat chaotic” as the department tried to track down all the injured firefighters, figuring out how many were trapped under debris. All units were accounted for and receiving medical care by around 9:15 p.m.
‘The devastation is not just the house’
(Courtesy, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue)
The explosion claimed the life of 45-year-old Trevor Brown, who had been with the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company since 2016. He leaves behind a wife and three children, Johnson said.
A total of 10 other first responders were taken to local hospitals, including two Loudoun County career firefighters, seven Sterling volunteer firefighters and one Fairfax County firefighter. The two occupants of the house were treated for minor injuries and have been released.
“I just feel horrible for the people that own this and I feel horrible for the fireman that lost his life trying to find out what the problem was,” Milligan said. “I mean, the devastation is not just the house.”
Brown’s death is a heartbreaking loss, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall told WTOP.
“It’s devastating to the (volunteer fire) company, to the entire system and quite frankly to the entire county, but most importantly to his family, his wife and his children,” Randall said.
Funeral arrangements are in the hands of the Brown family.
Randall said the community has come together to offer support to the four firefighters who remain hospitalized.
“Right now we are told that they have a long road back and it will be very hard, so they need a lot of support from everyone in the county,” Randall said.
“The homeowner is also a victim. This happened not because of her, but to her, and she has completely lost her home, pets and all of her worldly possessions,” Randall added.
