On Monday, December 4, at approximately 8:30 p.m., a house in Arlington, VA, exploded. There hasn’t been any release of information as to why or how the house exploded.
Earlier that day, 30 rounds were fired from a flare gun in the neighborhood. Allegedly, the one firing the rounds was James Yoo, the main suspect. Police were called and later arrived. The police tried to communicate with Yoo by phone and through loudspeakers, but he wouldn’t respond and remained barricaded inside, according to the police. As an emergency response team breached the front door, several more rounds were fired from what was believed to be a firearm. Possibly the same flare-gun Yoo used before. As of now, it is unclear how the shots fired relate to the house explosion. Or rather, why Yoo fired shots at all.
According to David Sundberg, assistant director of the FBI’s Washington, DC, field office, they’ve received multiple letters and calls from Yoo claiming that he is “being stalked” — “I would characterize these communications as primarily complaints about alleged frauds he believed were perpetrated against him,” Sundberg said. Yoo allegedly posted “concerning social media posts”—about conspiracy theories. The FBI is currently investigating these social media posts. Neighbors said they never had any notable interactions with Yoo. He had tin foil or another material blocking all of the windows on his side of the duplex.
Many neighbors were rattled by the powerful blast. Others also witnessed this shocking sight. A neighborhood resident, Emily Saxon, said she was lying on her couch and “physically recoiled” when the explosion shook her home. A video surfacing on the internet, taken by a witness, shows a plume of flames, embers, and smoke rising into the air and debris raining down into the street. The force of the explosion blew the roof and several walls apart, causing the structure to collapse.
Soon after the explosion, firefighters and police showed up. Firefighters worked into the early morning of the next day to extinguish the blaze, said Jason Jenkins, assistant chief of the Arlington County Fire Department. The FBI has also been called in to investigate the explosion.
As for Yoo, remains have been found at the scene of the explosion, which Arlington County Police believe are his.
