Honor Firefighter Trevor Brown: Memorial Park Fund

On February 16, 2024, a home explosion occurred in the Seneca Ridge Community of Sterling, VA. This explosion took the life of Volunteer Firefighter Trevor Brown and injured several other firefighters. The Seneca Ridge community wants to establish a memorial park to honor Firefighter Trevor Brown and the other firefighters injured in service to protect our community. In order to achieve that we need the funds to purchase the property. The money from this fundraiser will be used to purchase the empty lot where a home sat before the explosion that day and establish a small Quiet Green Space Park. Google (Sterling explosion 2024)

(This is the only sanctioned GoFundMe for this memorial effort)

February 16, 2024! A peaceful evening was brought to a horrific end when an explosion shook the entire small community of Seneca Ridge and surrounding neighborhoods.

The explosion that totally destroyed the corner home at 347 Silver Ridge Dr. was caused by a leaking 500 lb. propane tank. Moments before a concerned passerby notified the owner that he smelled gas. The owner contacted 911 and multiple units from the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company were dispatched to investigate. The firefighters quickly evacuated the home and took the actions they were trained to do. Soon after the last person was evacuated, something ignited the gas and the house exploded!

As a result of the explosion, 2 civilians and 12 Firefighters were significantly injured including the Line of Duty Death (LODD) of Firefighter Trevor Brown of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company.

This was the first incident of LODD in the history of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company.

This incident completely transformed the life of Trevor’s surviving wife and three young children, the injured firefighters on shift that night, and all the responding First Responders who assisted in the rescue and recovery efforts that evening. Trevor Brown will never get to see his family or his fellow fire fighters again.

It also changed the lives of the residents of this small community of 182 homes. Not a day goes by when we are not reminded of the heroism and sacrifice that occurred on that February evening. We drive or walk by the incident site every day.

It is now fall. The investigation is over, the rubble is gone and the empty lot remains. The owner must sell the lot and move forward in life. However, many see this lot as sacred ground and do not feel it is appropriate to rebuild a house there. They would like to have space set aside to honor and memorialize Trevor’s ultimate sacrifice, and the trials and tribulations of the other first responders present that night who responded to the community’s call for help.

To that end we are launching this GoFundMe to raise funds to purchase the property at Lot Price and fund other legal and operational costs required to establish a Quiet Green Space Park to honor Trevor Brown and all the firefighters who volunteer their time and in this case a life. There is an anonymous resident who will make up the difference of what this fundraiser brings in and the selling price of the lot. Once all is settled the resident will donate the lot to the HOA as common Ground.