A former agricultural supply cooperative employee has been charged for actions leading to a February home explosion in Loudoun County, Virginia, that killed a volunteer firefighter, county officials announced Tuesday.
That employee, Roger Bentley of the Southern States Cooperative, was indicted by a Loudoun County grand jury on claims of a poorly managed release of hazardous material that resulted in a 500-gallon underground propane tank leak and subsequent explosion in the 300 block of Silver Ridge Drive back on Feb. 16.
He was charged with involuntary manslaughter, unlawful release of hazardous materials, namely, liquefied petroleum gas, unlawful failure to maintain required records of an unauthorized discharge of hazardous materials, namely, liquefied petroleum gas, and unlawful failure to control or mitigate the unauthorized discharge of hazardous materials, mainly propane.
Bentley was also accused of failing to maintain proper records when it came to an unauthorized discharge of propane, officials said.
The explosion led to the death of Sterling volunteer firefighter Trevor Brown, 45, left 13 more people injured, and leveled a home while damaging six other nearby structures. Three additional homes were determined unsafe to live in immediately following the incident, and damages were initially estimated to be $2.5 million, per Loudoun County Fire and Rescue’s Fire Marshal’s Office at the time.
Fire officials were initially called to the scene for reports of a gas leak. The explosion happened after firefighters entered the home, according to a Loudoun County fire officer shortly after the incident.
Southern States is a company that offers propane, gasoline, and heating oil along with HVAC equipment and tankless water heaters, according to its website. A spokesperson from Southern States said they made “appropriate personnel changes” following the Sterling, Va. incident and said they were working with federal and local investigations.
“Based on our own internal inquiry into the incident and an extensive review of our safety protocols and training, particularly as they relate to the handling of propane consistent with the industry’s Energy Compliance Manual, we have made what we believe to be appropriate personnel changes in the region and are moving forward with a renewed commitment toward ensuring that our procedures and training are rigorous and sound, reflecting our otherwise stellar safety record of serving customers’ energy needs for more than 84 years in Leesburg, Virginia,” a portion of the statement said.
Following an initial review in February, fire officials said, “Uncontained propane migrated into and around the structure and was ignited by an unknown ignition source.”