A firefighter has been killed and nine others were injured when an explosion in a Washington, DC, suburb levelled a home where they were investigating a gas leak.
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Two civilians were also injured.
The firefighters were called to the home in Sterling, Virginia, by a report of a gas smell shortly on Friday night and a fiery explosion took place about 30 minutes later, fire officials said.
The blast and fire occurred while firefighters were inside the building, James Williams, assistant chief of operations for Loudon County Fire and Rescue, said at a news conference.
"Soon after arrival, with firefighters inside, the house did explode," Williams said.
One firefighter was killed, while nine firefighters and two civilians were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from limited to severe, Williams said.
"We have all firefighters out of the building. The fire will continue to smoulder," Williams said.
He described damage to the home as "total devastation."
"There's a debris field well into the street and into the neighbouring homes," he said.
Williams said the cause of the fire was under investigation.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company said its crews had responded to a report of a gas leak before the blast.
Sterling is about 30km northwest of Washington, DC.
Australian Associated Press
