BRISTOL TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — Two people are dead after an apparent gas explosion collapsed part of a nursing home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday afternoon.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed two deaths at a news conference Tuesday evening.
Police report that all employees and residents have now been accounted for. The search has concluded, and an investigation is underway.
Action News has also learned that 20 people were sent to various hospitals. Their conditions have not been released.
Chopper 6 was over the scene of the nursing home explosion in Bristol Twp., Bucks County
Police initially said a third person had died, but later clarified that one of the original victims was resuscitated at a local hospital.
However, one female employee was later recovered deceased during the final search.
WATCH: Pennsylvania officials provide update on explosion at Bucks County nursing home.
The blast happened around 2:15 p.m. at the Bristol Health and Rehab Center, formerly known as Silver Lake Nursing Home, on the 900 block of Tower Road in Bristol Township.
PECO said crews were called there a few hours earlier after getting reports of a gas odor.
The explosion occurred while crews were on the scene. PECO said it’s not known at this time if their equipment, or natural gas, was involved in the incident.
Video from the Action Cam showed flames erupting from the building. Debris could be seen scattered around the area.
An explosion and fire have been reported at a nursing home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Shapiro asked his fellow Pennsylvanians to take a moment 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.”
Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito described a chaotic rescue where firefighters found people stuck in stairwells and elevator shafts and pulled residents out of the fiery building through windows and doors. Two people were rescued from a collapsed section of building, he said.
Firefighters handed off patients to waiting police officers outside, including one “who literally threw two people over his shoulders,” Dippolito said. “It was nothing short of extraordinary.” A second explosion erupted during the rescue, he said.
One woman who works at the facility told Action News that she flagged a gas smell over the weekend.
Rescuers were called in from neighboring Montgomery County, the city of Philadelphia and New Jersey.
Facility not in compliance with some regulations in last inspection
The 174-bed nursing home is newly affiliated with Saber Healthcare Group.
In a statement, Saber called the explosion “devastating.” It said facility personnel had promptly reported a gas smell to PECO before the explosion and that it was working with authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of staff, residents and the community.
The latest state inspection report for the facility was in October, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health found that it was not in compliance with several state regulations.
The inspection report said the facility failed to provide an accurate set of floor plans and properly maintain several stairways.
It said the facility failed to maintain portable fire extinguishers on one of the three levels and failed to provide the required “smoke barrier partitions,” which are designed to contain smoke on two floors.
According to Medicare.gov, the facility underwent a standard fire safety inspection in September 2024, during which no citations were issued.
Medicare’s overall rating of the facility is listed as “much below average,” with poor ratings for health inspections in particular.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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