Cause sought of explosion that leveled an Arlington, Virginia, home as police tried to serve warrant

ARLINGTON, Va. — Hours before a massive explosion destroyed a duplex and rocked a Washington, D.C. suburb in Virginia, a suspect inside his home fired a flare gun 30 to 40 times into the neighborhood, prompting a large police response, they said. officials on Tuesday.

All of the officers escaped serious injuries, but it was unclear what happened to the suspect who was inside when he was swept away by the explosion Monday night in Arlington County, Virginia, police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said.

Officers arrived at the home around 4:45 p.m. after receiving reports of shots fired. The preliminary investigation showed that a suspect fired the flare gun from inside his home, but no property damage or injuries were reported, police said in a statement.

As police investigated, they obtained a search warrant for the home and attempted to contact the suspect via phone and speakers, but he remained inside unresponsive, police said.

As officers attempted to execute the warrant, police said the suspect fired several rounds from what was believed to be a firearm into the home and subsequently around 8:30 p.m. there was an explosion, sending up flames and debris in the air. Police said an investigation into the circumstances of the explosion was underway.

Savage said police don’t have any evidence that there were other people in the duplex, but they can’t rule out the possibility.

The fire was under control around 10:30 p.m., but Arlington County Fire Department crews continued to battle small spot fires, police said early Tuesday. Three officers reported minor injuries, but no one was taken to the hospital.

Carla Rodriguez of South Arlington said she could hear the explosion more than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away and rushed to the scene, but police kept onlookers a few blocks away.

“I actually thought a plane had exploded,” he said.

Bob Maynes thought maybe a tree had fallen on his house when he heard the explosion.

“I was sitting in my living room watching TV and the whole house shook,” Maynes said. “It wasn’t an earthquake-type tremor, but the whole house shook.”

Arlington is located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The explosion occurred in Bluemont, a neighborhood in north Arlington where many of the homes are duplexes.

Firefighters do not know the cause of the explosion, said Capt. Nate Hiner, spokesman for the Arlington Fire Department.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said federal agents and federal arson investigators were at the scene and assisting in the investigation.