A massive explosion at a duplex where police were investigating reports of shots fired shook a Washington, D.C, suburb Monday and destroyed the home. All officers escaped serious injury but it was unclear what happened to the suspect who was inside the home when it was leveled by the explosion, Arlington County, Virginia, police spokesperson Ashley Savage said.
Quick Read
- Explosion at a duplex in Arlington, Virginia: A significant explosion destroyed a duplex in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Arlington, Virginia, during a police investigation.
- Background of the incident: Arlington County police were investigating reports of shots fired at the home around 4:45 p.m., initially identifying the shots as coming from a flare gun.
- Search warrant and subsequent events: Police obtained and attempted to execute a search warrant at the home. The suspect inside fired several rounds, followed by the explosion around 8:30 p.m., which sent flames and debris into the air.
- Uncertainty about the suspect’s fate: The status of the suspect, who was in the home at the time of the explosion, remains unclear.
- Nature of the shots fired: It was not immediately known whether the rounds fired by the suspect were from a flare gun or a firearm, and the possibility of other occupants in the duplex couldn’t be ruled out.
- Local reactions: Residents in the area reported hearing the explosion from miles away, with some mistaking it for a plane explosion or a tree falling.
- Location details: The incident occurred in Bluemont, a neighborhood in north Arlington, known for its duplex homes.
- Investigation into the explosion’s cause: The cause of the explosion is unknown, and the Arlington Fire Department is investigating. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is also involved in the investigation.
The Associated Press has the story:
An explosion leveled a home in Arlington, VA as officers tried to serve a search warrant
Newslooks- ARLINGTON, Va. (AP)
A massive explosion at a duplex where police were investigating reports of shots fired shook a Washington, D.C, suburb Monday and destroyed the home.
All officers escaped serious injury but it was unclear what happened to the suspect who was inside the home when it was leveled by the explosion, Arlington County, Virginia, police spokesperson Ashley Savage said.
Officers went to the home at about 4:45 p.m. after receiving reports of shots fired. They later determined the shots came from a flare gun, Savage said. While police investigated, they obtained a search warrant for the home.
When police later attempted to execute the warrant the suspect fired several rounds inside the home and the explosion occurred just before 8:30 p.m., shooting flames and debris into the air police said.
Savage said it was unclear whether the rounds were fired from a flare gun or a firearm. Police don’t have any evidence that others were in the duplex but can’t rule out the possibility, she said.
Carla Rodriguez of South Arlington said she could hear the explosion more than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away and came to the scene but police kept onlookers blocks away.
“I actually thought a plane exploded,” she said.
Bob Maynes thought maybe a tree had fallen on his house when he heard the explosion.
“I was sitting in my living room watching television and the whole house shook,” Maynes said. “It wasn’t an earthquake kind of tremor, but the whole house shook.”
Arlington is located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The explosion occurred in Bluemont, a neighborhood in north Arlington where many of the homes are duplexes.
Fire officials do not know the cause of the explosion, said Capt. Nate Hiner, a spokesperson for the Arlington Fire Department.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said federal agents and federal fire investigators were at the scene and assisting in the investigation.
