A firefighter died in a catastrophic explosion at a home in Sterling, Virginia, this Friday night, the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Department stated.
Firefighters went to the scene after several calls for help about the fire, which took place in the 300 block of Silver Ridge Drive.
One of the reports indicated that a firefighter had been "trapped in the rubble."
The victim was not immediately identified.
It was reported that in addition to the firefighters, two civilians had been taken to assistance centers.
“Of the nine firefighters, some have serious injuries and others have minor injuries,” stated James Williams, Deputy Chief of Operations for the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Department.
"The house was completely crushed
," said a firefighter at the scene.
Loudoun County firefighters responded to a call about a natural gas odor around 7:40 p.m.
The explosion occurred shortly after rescuers arrived at the scene.
[A car crashes into the emergency room of a hospital in Texas and leaves one dead and five injured]
"
There was a lot of smoke
. Debris was falling from the sky," said Kyleigh Krishreck, who lives in the area.
She said she had felt as if something had hit her house.
The Loundon County Sheriff's Office stated that on Friday night, northbound Silver Ridge Drive was closed at Seneca Ridge Drive.
With information from
NBC 4
and
CBS News