A firefighter has died and others 11 people have been injured after an explosion in a house in the town of Sterling, in Virginia (USA), according to local authorities.

The Deputy Chief of Operations of the Loudoun County Fire Department, James Williams, has indicated that of the 11 injured, nine are firefighters, who have been admitted to a local hospital, some with “severe injuries”“, while the other two injured are civilians.

In a statement to local media, Williams indicated that the firefighters went to the house after receiving an alert call around 7:40 p.m., local time (00:40 GMT on Saturday), and that once the firefighters They were inside the house, a strong explosion occurred.

The authorities do not know for the moment the causes that caused the incident, which left the house “completely destroyed”, as Williams has stressed. Photos and images recorded by local media show smoke flares and multiple emergency vehicles in the area.

Kyleigh Krishreck, a resident of the neighborhood, told the local channel ‘NBC 4 Washington’ that she first heard a loud explosion and when she went outside, saw “debris falling from the sky”.