At least two killed as explosion rocks Pennsylvania nursing house leaving residents trapped
An explosion at a nursing home in Pennsylvania has left at least two people dead as rescue crews rush to find victims or survivors of the fiery blast.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said at a news conference late Tuesday that at least two people had been killed in the “catastrophic” explosion that left residents trapped inside.
Shapiro said firefighters were “climbing up ladders, handing individuals in this nursing home to police, who were at times carrying two people on their back to safety.”
The explosion happened Tuesday around 2 p.m. ET at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center, also known as Silver Lake Nursing Home, in Bristol Township, about 30 minutes northeast of Philadelphia. Shapiro said officials currently believe a gas leak caused the explosion.
Shapiro asked people to pray “for this community, for those who are still missing, for those who are injured, and for those families who are about to celebrate Christmas with an empty chair at their table.”
Emergency crews raced to the 174-bed facility to search for people who may have gone missing in the blast. Video footage from local outlets showed cop cars, ambulances and fire trucks with flashing lights.
WPVI’s cameras filmed flames and black smoke billowing from the nursing home. There was structural damage to the building, including blown out windows and a roof that had collapsed.
Bristol Township’s fire chief, Kevin Dippolito, said at the Tuesday evening news conference that five people were still unaccounted for but that some may have left the nursing home with family.
The Upper Makefield Township Police Department has called the explosion a “mass casualty incident.”
“Please avoid that area of Bucks County as there is a large emergency personnel response,” the department wrote on Facebook.
Lieutenant Sean Cosgrove with Bristol Township police told Levittown Now that residents were evacuated by emergency crews, staff and even bystanders.
Jim Morgan, president of the Bristol Township School Board, said buses would transport people from the nursing home to Truman High School, where a reunification center has been set up, the Associated Press reported.
“I do not know if everyone is accounted for or not yet,” the officer said. “I’m not aware of any critical injuries but there definitely were injuries.”
State Representative Tina Davis, whose district includes the nursing home, recalled that she saw as she approached the chaotic scene in her car.
“I saw smoke and I saw car after car after car was a fire truck or ambulance from all over the city, from all over,” Davis said, per the AP.
Local gas utility, PECO, said it had crews responding to reports of a gas odor at the nursing home around the time of the explosion, according to the AP.
“PECO crews shut off natural gas and electric service to the facility to ensure the safety of first responders and local residents,” the company said.
The nursing home’s last fire safety inspection was in September 2024, and it has not received any fire safety or emergency preparedness citations, according to Medicare.gov. But the facility has an overall 1-star rating with health inspections considered “much below average.”
The Independent has reached out to the Bristol Township police and fire departments as well as the Upper Makefield Township Police Department for comment.
Senator John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, called the explosion a “tragic situation.”
“Gisele and I extend our deepest condolences to all the lives impacted by this awful development,” he wrote on X.
Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who represents Bristol Township, said he and his team “are closely monitoring developments as authorities work to secure the scene and care for those affected.”
“Please also join me in praying for the safety of the residents of the nursing home, the dedicated staff who care for them, and our brave first responders who rushed to the scene and ran toward danger without hesitation,” the congressman added.
Source: independent.co.uk
