Sterling, VA, Firefighter Killed in Blast Remembered as Devoted Dad, Volunteer

A Loudoun County firefighter killed in an explosion Friday night is being remembered as a dedicated dad and volunteer.

Trevor Brown, 45, a member of Sterling Volunteer Fire Company, was killed and other firefighters were injured in a catastrophic explosion as they were investigating a gas leak in a house.

Four firefighters remained hospitalized Monday morning, WTTG reported. 

Brown was married with three children and had been affiliated with the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System since 2016.

"Anytime you talk to Trevor, there’s no way you’re not going to talk to him and walk away not knowing everything that’s going on with his kids. He was just a great dad. He was born to be a dad. We’ve had long discussions and they always evolved around what his kids were doing or how his kids were progressing in life and things of that nature," Jacob Ferrara, Brown's friend, told reporters. 

"He just believed in service, he believed in giving back to the community. He was a volunteer firefighter, he didn’t have to do that, he wanted to do that because he felt an obligation to serve."

On Saturday, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Chief Keith Johnson said: "We lost a family member. We lost one of our own. As a fire chief, this is the worst thing we could possibly do."

Firefighters called to the home by a resident smelling gas discovered a 500-gallon underground propane tank with a leak on the side of the residence. 

People as far away as Montgomery County, MD reported hearing the explosion.