House explodes and shots fired after police activity at Arlington residence

A house exploded and shots were fired after police activity was noted around an Arlington, Virginia, residence.

The aftermath of the massive explosion could be seen in pictures and videos posted on social media. Evan Maguire was at his house a few blocks away when he heard and felt the explosion, he said.

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“I was getting ready to make some dinner and felt the house shake and a boom in my chest. I figured it was a car crash and looked outside. My neighbors were starting to come out of their houses to see what was going on,” Maguire told the Washington Examiner.

“I looked across the bridge on N George Mason and saw what looked like flares going up and then a steady glow of fire,” he said.

A video of the explosion, shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, by user @connormaj showed the entire house get destroyed. The explosion was followed by a large fire and sparks.

A picture from user Mark Raymond, taken from his balcony, showed the aftermath of the blast.

The Arlington County Police Department confirmed the explosion in a statement posted on X

“As officers were attempting to execute a search warrant at the residence, the suspect discharged several rounds inside the home,” the statement said. “Subsequently, an explosion occurred at the residence and officers continue to investigate the circumstances of the explosion.”

Police were dispatched to the residence after a suspect reportedly fired a flare gun out his window.

“At approximately 4:45 p.m., police were dispatched to the 800 block of N. Burlington Street for the report of possible shots heard,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow before the explosion.

A witness told WTOP that police were trying to coax the suspect out of the residence when the explosion happened.

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“And they’re talking to him. And then next thing you know, the house blows up. It’s a duplex and it’s collapsed the entire side, and I don’t know about the other side of the duplex. I’m just hoping that people next door got out. And [officials are] now chasing us off the street with all the fire trucks and everything because we have [natural] gas in the neighborhood,” she said.

Officers at the scene said there were minor injuries, but no one was taken to the hospital.