Firefighter killed in fiery Virginia home explosion remembered as devoted father, volunteer
Community mourns firefighter killed in Sterling house explosion
Parts of the Seneca Ridge neighborhood remain accessible only to residents and investigators as they piece together what happened Friday when a home exploded in the community. Friends and strangers are still grappling with firefighter Trevor Brown’s loss.
STERLING, Va. - Emotions continue to run high in a Virginia neighborhood after a devastating house explosion reduced a home to rubble and left a volunteer firefighter dead.
Firefighters were called to the home on Silver Ridge Drive in Sterling shortly after 7:30 p.m. Friday to investigate a report about a smell of gas.
About 30 minutes later, the house burst into flames in a fiery explosion that left 45-year-old Trevor Brown, a volunteer with the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company, dead.
READ MORE: 'We lost a family member:' Volunteer firefighter killed in Sterling house explosion identified
The blast and fire occurred while firefighters were inside the building, said Loudon County Fire and Rescue officials at a news conference. Brown was married with three children and had been affiliated with the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System since 2016.
Before the explosion, officials say firefighters discovered a 500-gallon underground propane tank with a leak on the side of the residence. The exact cause of the blast is still under investigation.
About 30 minutes later the house burst into flames in a fiery explosion that left 45-year-old Trevor Brown, a volunteer with the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company, dead.
"We lost a family member. We lost one of our own," said Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Chief Keith Johnson on Saturday. "As a fire chief, this is the worst thing we could possibly do."
"Anytime you talk to Trevor, there’s no way you’re not going to talk to him and walk away not knowing everything that’s going on with his kids," said Jacob Ferrara, a friend of Brown who spoke with FOX 5. "He was just a great dad. He was born to be a dad. We’ve had long discussions and they always evolved around what his kids were doing or how his kids were progressing in life and things of that nature."
READ MORE: Sterling house explosion: 1 firefighter dead
Firefighters were called to the home on Silver Ridge Drive in Sterling shortly after 7:30 p.m. Friday to investigate a report about a smell of gas.
"He just believed in service, he believed in giving back to the community," Ferrara continued. "He was a volunteer firefighter, he didn’t have to do that, he wanted to do that because he felt an obligation to serve."
A total of 10 other first responders were hospitalized with injuries from the blast. Four of them remain hospitalized.
The Loudoun First Responders Foundation is accepting donations for the families of the firefighters.