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11 months ago
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A house exploded in a huge fireball in Arlington, Virginia on Monday night as cops prepared to burst in to apprehend a suspect firing a flare gun.
Police said a person inside the duplex was also firing gunshots at officers, including a SWAT armored vehicle, as they tried to get into the home at about 4:45 p.m.
'Subsequently, an explosion occurred at the residence and officers continue to investigate the circumstances of the explosion,' authorities in Arlington said in a statement.
Disturbing footage of the blast was shared online, with the property completely obliterated by the violent blast and subsequent fireball. It is unclear if anyone was hurt or killed.
The blast left the house in the city's Bluemont neighborhood in flames.
Emergency crews trying to put out the fire while area residents have either been evacuated or told to shelter-in-place.
It looked like a scene out of an action movie when a house in the Washington DC suburb of Arlington, Virginia exploded into flames Monday night during a standoff.
Police tweeted out just after 8 p.m. that they were headed to North Burlington Street attempting to execute a search warrant.
They said a suspect had been discharging a flare gun from his residence and the request for shelter-in-place began.
By around 8:30 p.m., people began reporting having heard a loud explosion in the area.
Authorities said the suspect discharged several rounds inside his home before the blast.
Local fire and emergency services posted on X that they had dispatched to the scene to try and put out what they were describing as a 'structure fire.'
Police said a person inside the house was firing gunshots at officers as they tried to get into the home at about 4:45 pm
The blast left the house in the city's Bluemont neighborhood in flames
Emergency crews trying to put out the fire while area residents have either been evacuated or told to shelter-in-place
Local fire and emergency services posted on X that they had dispatched to the scene to try and put out what they were describing as a 'structure fire'
WTOP, a local radio station, got a call from a listener who claimed to live in the area, saying police were trying to coax the suspect out of his house.
A neighbor who spoke to ARLnow said they believe 'it blew up the entire duplex' but is hopeful the family next door 'was evacuated before it blew up.'
Other neighbors reported the blast having shook their beds and left behind an 'acrid stench.'
So far, police have only reported 'minor injuries' and no one has been taken to the hospital yet, though paramedics were told to expect 'multiple burn patients.'
This is a developing story.
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