2 People Dead, Others Still Missing After Pennsylvania Nursing Home Explosion

At least two people have died and several others remain unaccounted for after an explosion struck a Pennsylvania nursing home Tuesday afternoon.

In a statement obtained by NBC Philadelphia, PECO Energy Company said its crews responded shortly after 2 p.m. to reports of a gas odor at Bristol Health and Rehab Center — also known as the Silver Lake Nursing Home — located at 905 Tower Road in Bristol Township, Bucks County.

“While crews were on site, an explosion occurred at the facility,” the statement said. PECO added that workers shut off natural gas and electric service to the building to protect first responders and nearby residents.

Speaking at a Tuesday press conference, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said a preliminary investigation suggests a gas leak may have triggered the blast.

“We know that at this time there are at least two fatalities,” Shapiro said. “We know that there are some number of individuals still missing.”

The facility is licensed for 174 beds and typically houses about 151 residents each day, according to NBC Philadelphia.

Bristol Township Fire Department Chief Kevin Dippolito said firefighters arrived to find “major structural collapse,” with parts of the first floor falling into the basement and people trapped inside. In response, Bristol Township Manager Randee J. Mazur issued a local emergency declaration.

Dippolito said many residents were evacuated through “windows, doors, stuck in stairwells, stuck in elevator shafts,” as crews rushed to pull people to safety.

While rescues were underway, firefighters detected what Dippolito described as a “heavy odor of gas.”

“Within approximately 15 to 30 seconds of us exiting the building, knowing there was a heavy odor of natural gas around us, there was another explosion and fire,” he said. He added that crews kept the flames from spreading, and that the fire helped pinpoint the suspected source of the leak in the basement.

Shapiro praised the emergency response, saying rescuers were “quite literally climbing up ladders,” passing residents out of the building to officers — some of whom carried multiple people at a time to safety.

Dippolito said crews were still searching for anyone who may be trapped.

“We’re still in rescue mode,” he said. “We have not transitioned into a recovery mode.”

Shapiro also noted that investigators will need time to confirm the cause of the explosion and determine the number of people injured. He added that new owners took over the facility earlier this month, and that the state Department of Health visited on Dec. 10.

“There was a plan put in place in order for these new facility owners to upgrade the standards at this facility,” Shapiro said, adding that the work to ensure resident safety would continue as displaced residents are moved to other facilities.