A former employee of the company that provided fuel for the propane tank blamed for a fatal Virginia house explosion is standing trial on an involuntary manslaughter charge.
A leak from the 500-gallon underground propane tank caused the explosion that destroyed the house on Silver Ridge Drive Feb. 16, 2024, and killed 45-year-old volunteer firefighter Trevor Brown, the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System said. Eleven first responders were hurt.
The day of the explosion, Southern States pumped about 130 gallons of propane into the tank to test it, prosecutors said, and based on testimony Tuesday, it was clear there was a leak. The service tech could smell it, the homeowner could smell it, and neighbors could smell it, attorneys said.
According to testimony, the tech called colleague Roger Bentley out to take a look. Homeowner Kelly Woods testified Bentley downplayed the risk and continued to downplay the risk even after a neighbor had called the fire department.
During opening statements Tuesday, the prosecution said Bentley told firefighters over the phone it was not an emergency. Within 25 minutes of that statement, the house exploded, instantly killing Brown, who was standing in the front yard.
The defense argued that it was a tragedy, not a crime, and that it makes no sense that Bentley would walk away from an active gas leak.
Defense attorneys argued Woods knew the propane tank under her home had been leaking for years and never told any of the people she called out to service it.
The trial is expected to last three weeks.
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