Charges filed in Sterling, Virginia, home explosion that killed volunteer firefighter

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Virginia (7News) — A former Southern States Cooperative employee has been charged with actions that led to a February home explosion in Loudoun County, Va., that killed a Sterling volunteer firefighter, county officials announced Tuesday.

That employee, Roger Bentley, was indicted by a Loudoun County grand jury on claims of a mismanaged release of hazardous material that led to a 500-gallon underground propane tank leak and subsequent explosion in the 300 block of Silver Ridge Drive in February. 16.

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Bentley was also charged with failing to keep proper records when it came to an unauthorized discharge of propane, officials said.

The blast killed Sterling volunteer firefighter Trevor Brown, 45, injured 13 others and leveled a home while damaging six other nearby structures. Three additional homes were determined to be unsafe for immediate occupancy after the incident, and damage was initially estimated at $2.5 million, by the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue office at the time.

Firefighters initially went to the scene to report a gas leak. The explosion occurred after firefighters entered the home, according to a Loudoun County fire official shortly after the incident.

The home’s propane tank was provided by Southern States, a company that offers propane, gasoline and heating oil along with HVAC equipment and tankless water heaters, according to its website. A Southern States spokesman said they made “appropriate personnel changes” after the Sterling, Va. incident and said they were working with federal and local investigations.

“Based on our own internal investigation into the incident and a thorough review of our safety and training protocols, particularly regarding the handling of propane in accordance with the Industry Energy Compliance Manual, we made what we believe are the appropriate personnel changes in the region and are moving forward with a renewed commitment to ensure that our procedures and training are rigorous and robust, reflecting our otherwise stellar safety record, to serving customers’ energy needs for over 84 years in Leesburg, Virginia,” part of the statement. he said

After an initial review in February, fire officials said “uncontained propane migrated into and around the structure and was ignited by an unknown ignition source.”

Bentley was charged with involuntary manslaughter, unlawful release of hazardous materials, namely liquefied petroleum gas, unlawful failure to maintain required records of an unauthorized discharge of hazardous materials, namely gas of liquid petroleum, and unlawful failure to control or mitigate the unauthorized discharge of hazardous materials, primarily propane.

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