At least 2 dead, 20 injured after Bucks County nursing home gas explosion and fire

BRISTOL, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — At least two people are dead and 20 are injured after a gas explosion and fire at a nursing home in Bucks County Tuesday afternoon.

Gov. Josh Shapiro and other officials, speaking at a press briefing Tuesday night, described scenes of chaos and major disarray. First responders entered the Bristol Health and Rehab Center in Bristol Township as it was still collapsing after the explosion and extracted injured residents and workers.

"In the immediate moments after the explosion, you saw what real heroism is all about," said Shapiro. "Firefighters rushed to this scene in order to contain the explosion, in order to contain the fire, and most importantly, in order to rescue people.

"They were quite literally climbing up ladders, handing individuals in this nursing home to police, who were at times, carrying two people on their backs to safety."

Authorities reported the gas explosion around 2:15 p.m. at the nursing home on Tower Road near Fayette Drive, not far from the Lower Bucks Hospital. The Bristol Health and Rehab Center recently changed its name from Silver Lake Nursing Home.

PECO crews were at the facility a few hours before the explosion for reports of a gas odor. PECO spokesperson Greg Smore said after the blast, crews shut off "natural gas and electric service to the facility to ensure the safety of first responders and local residents."

The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Smore added, "It is not known at this time if PECO’s equipment, or natural gas, was involved in this incident."

Fire departments from Bucks, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties responded to the scene. There were also crews from fire engines in Burlington County, New Jersey.

Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito said when crews got there, the first floor of the nursing home had collapsed into the facility's basement. He said firefighters entered the building anyway.

"Fire department personnel immediately went into a rescue mode," Dippolito said. "They pulled many residents out of the building via windows doors, stuck in stairwells, elevator shafts."

A neighbor of the nursing home said the blast that preceded the fire shook her home.

"I thought someone was banging really hard on my door, and I looked outside and I didn't see anything," she said. "And then everybody started coming outside."

Excavation crews were on the scene, clearing debris in the collapsed part of the building to help rescue efforts. Two people were killed. At least 20 were injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. Their conditions remain unknown at this time.

Officials said Wednesday morning that rescue efforts have ended and all residents and staff are accounted for.