Former propane worker charged in Virginia house explosion that killed firefighter

STERLING, Va. — A former employee of a propane supplier has been charged in the death of a volunteer firefighter who died while responding to a house explosion in Virginia in February, officials said Tuesday.

Roger Bentley was charged Monday with involuntary manslaughter and unlawful release of hazardous materials, the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Department said in a statement.

Bentley was also charged with failing to maintain required records of an unauthorized discharge of hazardous materials and failing to control or mitigate the unauthorized discharge of hazardous materials.

Online court records did not show whether Bentley had an attorney to speak on his behalf about the charges Tuesday.

The house explosion in Sterling killed volunteer firefighter Trevor Brown, seriously injured 11 first responders and caused $2.5 million in damage, Loudoun County officials said. Brown was married with three children and had been with the county’s fire services since 2016, officials said.

Firefighters arrived at the home in suburban Washington, D.C., to investigate a report of a gas odor, officials said. They discovered a leaking 500-gallon underground propane tank next to the residence, officials said.

Shortly after arriving, the house exploded and caught fire, with multiple May calls coming from firefighters trapped inside. Crews rushed to try to rescue them from the debris that covered them.

Two people inside the house were heard before the explosion and suffered minor injuries from the blast.

Investigators determined the explosion was caused by the leak, according to the fire department’s statement. Uncontained propane migrated into and around the structure and was ignited by something that has not been identified, the release said.

Bentley is a former employee of Southern States Cooperative, Inc.-Leesburg-Fairfax Petroleum Service. In a statement to WTOP-TV, the company said it is cooperating fully with investigations into the explosion.

“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 our procedures and training are rigorous and robust,” the company said.