Virginia house explosion: Arlington man shooting flare gun blows up his house while still inside

Update: Arlington man shooting flare gun blows up his house while still inside (Video)

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(James Yoo, Image credit: LinkedIn via Heavy)

(Updated:  December 6, 2023) Last night, the Arlington County Police Department provided an update regarding the December 4 Virginia house explosion.  Police believe that the formerly unidentified man blowing up his house and shooting the flare gun 40 – 50 times into his neighborhood, has now been identified as 56-year-old James Yoo of Arlington. 

Police said that Yoo was inside the home at the time of that very dramatic explosion.

Human remains have been located at the scene which are presumed to be the suspect. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will work to positively identify the individual and determine cause and manner of death.  Police added that there is no ongoing threat to the community related to this incident and no outstanding suspects.”  ~ Arlington County Police Department

Watch: Press briefing on home explosion

Yoo wrote a series of rambling and ranting social media posts on LinkedIn, targeting his neighbors, the FBI and the CIA, according to Heavy.

Ace News Today’s original article regarding the Virginia house explosion appears below in its entirety.


(December 5, 2023) An Arlington, Virginia, man who was barricaded inside his house trying to avoid local police managed to blow up his home last night – setting off a massive explosion that rocked his neighborhood – the impact of which was felt miles away.  There’s still no word on the fate of the unidentified man who was inside the house trying to avoid law enforcement.  But based on the severity of the explosion, a healthy outcome does not bode well.

The actual explosion was captured on video and is presented below.

Background:  At approximately 4:45 p.m. on December 4, the Arlington County Police Department reported being dispatched to the 800 block of North Burlington Street for the report of possible shots heard. The department’s preliminary investigation indicated a suspect discharged a flare gun approximately 30 – 40 times from inside his residence into the surrounding neighborhood. No property damage or injuries were reported related to the discharge of the flare gun.

During the course of the investigation, officers obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s residence and attempted to make contact with him over the telephone and through loudspeakers. The homeowner did not respond and remained barricaded inside the residence. As officers were attempting to execute the search warrant, the suspect discharged several rounds, from what is believed to be a firearm, inside the home.

At approximately 8:25 p.m., a massive explosion occurred at the residence.

Witnesses described seeing flares in the sky emanating from the area of the blast prior to the blast.  ~ ABC News

The Arlington County Fire Department responded to the scene to extinguish the fire. By about 10:30 p.m. on December 4, the fire was under control while crews on the scene continued to battle small spot fires.

Three officers reported minor injuries, but fortunately there were no transports to the hospital related to this incident. The police investigation into the explosion remains ongoing. For more on the Virginia house explosion, see the video below.

(Source: Arlington County Police Department)
(Cover photo, Image credit: YouTube)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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