US police say suspect inside house that exploded fired flare gun 30 to 40 times

Explosion destroyed home and shook Virginia suburb of Arlington as police tried to make contact with suspect from outside

Hours before a massive explosion destroyed a duplex and shook a Virginia suburb of Washington DC, a suspect inside his home fired a flare gun 30 to 40 times into the neighborhood, drawing a large police response, officials said Tuesday.

All officers escaped serious injury but it was unclear what happened to the suspect who was inside when it was leveled by the explosion on Monday night, Arlington county police spokesperson Ashley Savage said.