Virginia home explodes as police attempted to execute search warrant

Police are investigating a massive explosion that destroyed a home in Arlington, Virginia, where responding officers were attempting to execute a search warrant on Monday night.

The Arlington County Police Department responded to reports of shots fired, which was later determined to be from a flare gun, at a residence at around 4:45 p.m., according to police spokesperson Ashley Savage. As police investigated, they obtained a search warrant for the home.

Police attempted to execute the search warrant several hours after initially responding but the suspect fired several rounds inside the home, police said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The home then exploded, shortly before 8:30 p.m.

"The preliminary investigation indicated a suspect discharged a flare gun approximately 30 – 40 times from inside his residence into the surrounding neighborhood," police said in a news release early Tuesday. "No property damage or injuries were reported related to the discharge of the flare gun."

The Arlington County Fire Department responded to the scene to extinguish the fire. As of 10:30 p.m., police said the fire was under control but fire crews continued to battle small spot fires.

Police said three officers sustained minor injuries but no one was transported to the hospital. Savage told the Associated Press that no fatalities have been confirmed yet and the status of the suspect, who was in the home when it exploded, is not known.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said federal agents and federal fire investigators were at the scene and assisting local authorities in the investigation. Police also said the investigation into the cause of the explosion was ongoing.

Arlington is a northern Virginia county located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The blast occurred in Bluemont, a suburban neighborhood in north Arlington.

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Contributing: The Associated Press