Blast rocks home of suspect surrounded by police in Virginia

[December 05, 2023]  (Reuters) - A loud explosion rocked a neighborhood in a suburb of Washington, D.C., on Monday as police served a search warrant at a home where a suspect fired several gunshots and discharged a flare gun, police said.  

Only minor injuries were reported.

Social media images showed a large tower of flame rising from the home and witnesses said the blast shook nearby buildings and that they could hear it from at least a mile away.

"As officers were attempting to execute a search warrant at the residence, the suspect discharged several rounds inside the home. Subsequently, an explosion occurred at the residence and officers continue to investigate the circumstances of the explosion," the Arlington County Police Department reported on X.

Officers on the scene reported minor injuries with nobody taken to hospital, police said, adding that the fire department was on scene and attempting to put out the fire.

Arlington County, with a population of about 234,000, is just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

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