HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- A "catastrophic explosion" at a Virginia home that killed one firefighter and injured about a dozen people over the weekend may have been caused by a gas leak.
Though the official cause of the explosion is still under investigation, Loudon County fire officials say they responded to a smell of gas around a home in Sterling around 7:30 Friday night.
They later found a 500-pound propane tank underneath the home at the epicenter of the explosion leaking gas.
That kind of damage reminds Henrico Fire Battalion Chief Doug Reynolds of something he saw about 13 years ago.
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"We had a house that exploded down in Varina, and I mean, when I tell you it exploded, everything was gone. I mean, you couldn’t even find two boards that were still nailed together," Reynolds said.
A gas leak back in 2011 at a home of Yahley Mill Road to blow up, leaving bits of debris that could be found miles away.
No one was injured, a rarity for an explosion so large.
“I was riding on the battalion car that day. I told them to check with the airport to see if they had a plane that exploded, at that point you just didn’t know what it could’ve been. When we arrived on scene, that house was gone," Reynolds recounted.
Reynolds is now reminding everyone to be aware of how they may use gas in their home and to stop everything if you smell this particular smell.
“It could be a large number of things, it could be your stove, your gas water heater. If you’ve got gas logs in your fireplace, anywhere from pilot lights going out, older lines that have deteriorated over the years," Reynolds said. "If you smell that rotten egg smell, that’s the key to you that there’s a problem inside of your house and it’s time to get out. Make that phone call and let us come by, or city gas come by and check your house."
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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