Arlington officials investigate house explosion that happened as police tried to serve warrant
Law enforcement officials returned to Arlington, Virginia, Tuesday to investigate what caused an explosion that leveled a home as police attempted to serve a search warrant.
As of Tuesday morning, Arlington County police established a yellow police tape perimeter of at least a block from the house on North Burlington Street in the Bluemont neighborhood where the explosion took place on Monday night.
A shelter-in-place for residents has been lifted and pedestrians walking in front of nearby Key Elementary School are seen trying to take photos of the destruction. The smell of char from the explosion remains as drivers and pedestrians on North George Mason Drive try to peer through a wood line to see the devastated home.
Officials are still trying to determine what happened to the suspect. Officers tried to serve a search warrant as shots were being fired from inside the house at around 4:45 p.m. on Monday. Police said nearby residents told them the suspect fired 30 to 40 shots from a flare gun from inside the home into the neighborhood.
After an hourslong standoff with police, the suspect fired several shots inside the home before the explosion happened at around 8:30 p.m.
Warning: The video below contains explicit language.
Video of the explosion. Hope everyone was out of the house#Arlington #ballston @ARLnowDOTcom @RealTimeNews10 pic.twitter.com/JSZE7LkoTD
— c “” maj (@connormaj) December 5, 2023
The “powerful” explosion frightened nearby residents, including Alex Kowalski, who moved to the neighborhood 20 years ago.
“I was in my house last night and heard a large boom and then felt the house shake, thought that a tree had fallen and then came outside, my neighbors were all looking around trying to understand what happened,” Kowalski said.
Three police officers suffered minor injuries as a result of the explosion. Fire officials were able to put out the fire, but are also trying to determine what caused the explosion.
WTOP’s Luke Lukert and Ciara Wells contributed to this story.