A propane company employee was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter Monday after a 2024 explosion tied to a leaking underground tank killed a volunteer firefighter, injured 13 other people and leveled a home in Northern Virginia.
Roger Bentley, a former employee of Southern States Cooperative, was charged after the powerful blast in Sterling killed Trevor Brown, a fourth-generation volunteer firefighter and father of three. He was 45.
Prosecutors worked to convince jurors Bentley was negligent. His defense called him the fall guy in a tragedy.
Sentencing was scheduled for November 6.
The smell of gas and then a deadly blast
Firefighters responded to the home in the 300 block of Silver Ridge Drive on Feb. 16, 2024, after the homeowner called 911 to report the smell of gas.
A 500-gallon underground propane tank was found near the home after firefighters arrived at about 7:50 p.m., officials said. Loudoun County’s Hazardous Materials Response Team and other emergency responders were called in to help. The tank heated the backyard pool.
Firefighters wearing personal protective equipment were inside checking for occupants and trying to control the leak when something ignited the propane and caused the explosion at about 8:25 p.m.
During one of several mayday calls, a first responder said a firefighter was “trapped by debris.”
“The house is pretty much leveled,” a firefighter said during a dispatch call.
Chopper4 footage showed a lot strewn with shattered wood and charred rubble. The force of the explosion sent debris flying into the branches of nearby trees.
What the homeowner said
The homeowner testified she had been fixing up the house to put it on the market and wanted to address the propane tank.
On the day of the explosion, Southern States pumped about 130 gallons of propane into the tank to test it. Based on testimony, it was clear there was a leak. The tech, homeowner and even neighbors could smell it.
Bentley was called to the house and was the last technician to be there, hours before the explosion. His defense argued the homeowner is to blame because she knew for years that the propane tank was faulty.
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