PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — New federal documents show apparent missteps by PECO before a deadly gas explosion at a nursing home in Bristol, Bucks County, last year.
On Dec. 23, 2025, an explosion leveled the Bristol Health and Rehab Center on Tower Road. Three people — a nurse and two residents — died, and at least 20 were injured.
According to a new trove of documents, including interview transcripts, released by the National Transportation Safety Board on the deadly explosion, the gas meter valve was more than 80 years old, and PECO techs sent to the scene weren't trained to handle the situation.
The backside of the building collapsed in a scene that one PECO technician told investigators looked like “Vietnam.”
PECO techs were sent out to the building a few hours before the explosion to investigate reports of a gas odor.
In interview transcripts, the techs said they’d never seen a gas meter valve like the one at the center, that they struggled to figure out where the leak was coming from, and that they were rushed into writing flawed reports.
The union representing PECO employees, IBEW Local 614, said the incident resulted from "sins of PECO management" and should be taken as a "wake-up call" to neglect within the company.
PECO said it's prioritizing moving indoor meters outdoors and that it's strengthened its employee training process.
The new documents don’t assign blame for the explosion, and the NTSB still hasn't released a final report on what happened.
Saber Healthcare, which manages the nursing home, said the documents show that PECO’s response was marked by serious failures, but that its staff promptly reported the odor.
