Virginia house explosion not caused by firefight with federal agents. None were there
Arlington County Fire Department fire and police vehicles fill the street near the scene of a house explosion on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, in Arlington, Va. The blast was not caused by a firefight with federal agents, despite online claims. An investigation into the cause is ongoing. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
CLAIM: An explosion at a home in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday night was caused by a firefight with U.S. federal agents that either ignited a gas pipeline or led a terrorist to set off a suicide vest.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. No federal agencies were present when the house exploded, according to the Arlington County Police Department. An investigation into the cause of the explosion is ongoing, officials said.
THE FACTS: Following the massive explosion at the Arlington duplex, located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., some on social media suggested that a cause had already been determined.
“While Executing A #Search #Warrant in #Arlington, #Virginia, one source told me that the US Federal Agents Allegedly Engaged in A #Firefight Resulting in Terr0rists Ign1ting A Suic!de Vest!” reads one Instagram post.
Another Instagram post from the same account, citing a different source, also blamed the blast on an alleged firefight. However, it said that the exchange had caused a flare gun to go off, which in turn ignited a gas pipeline.
Both posts included a dramatic video of the explosion.
But neither theory is true, in part because federal agents weren’t near the house when it went up in flames.
“Federal agencies are assisting with the follow-up investigation into the home explosion in the 800 block of N. Burlington Street,” the Arlington County Police Department told The Associated Press on Wednesday in an emailed statement. “No federal agencies were on scene at the time of the explosion.”
Assistant Fire Chief Jason Jenkins said at a Tuesday press conference that an investigation into the blast is “ongoing with no timeline for the conclusion” and that he would not “speculate on cause or origin.”
Jenkins also noted that authorities turned off gas service to the home about 90 minutes before the explosion.
Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn said police went to the home after James Yoo, 56, fired a “flare-type gun” into the neighborhood more than 30 times from within the house.
Following attempts to communicate with Yoo that were largely unsuccessful, police obtained a search warrant and deployed “non-flammable, less-lethal chemical munitions” in an effort to cause irritation and force the suspect to surrender, according to Penn.
The suspect fired multiple gunshots from within the house after police breached a door to enter the home, the AP reported at the time. Soon after, just before 8:30 p.m., the duplex exploded. Yoo is believed to have died in the blast.
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