2 dead and others missing after fire and explosion at a Pennsylvania nursing home

By Danny Freeman, Taylor Romine, CNN

(CNN) — Two people are dead and others are missing after a fire and explosion tore into a nursing home on the outskirts of Philadelphia, spurring local responders, bystanders and staff to rush the elderly population to safety, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said.

Five people may be missing, Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito said, but officials emphasized the number is preliminary. The number injured is also not immediately clear as patients were taken to multiple hospitals, he said.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, but officials’ preliminary belief is that it was a gas leak, Shapiro said.

Crews from PECO, the local utility company, responded to reports of a gas odor in the facility shortly after 2 p.m., the company said in a statement.

“While crews were on site, an explosion occurred at the facility. 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, adding they are not sure if their equipment or natural gas was involved in the explosion.

First responders worked quickly to remove everyone they could find as they still smelled a heavy gas odor, Dippolito said. About 15 to 30 seconds after firefighters left building, there was another explosion and subsequent fire, he said, showing just how dangerous conditions were during the early rescue efforts.

In addition to the fire, the building suffered major damage as the first floor partially collapsed into the basement, Dippolito said.

“The explosion was really quite catastrophic,” Shapiro said.

Officials said it was a massive effort by everyone on scene to save people inside quickly, describing scenes of pulling people out of windows, staircases and elevator shafts.

“There was one police officer who literally threw two people over his shoulders and ran with people to help,” Dippolito said.

Bristol Health & Rehab Center, formerly known as the Silver Lake Nursing Home, said in a Facebook post local authorities were responding to the facility and they would post updates when warranted. It is located about 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia in Bristol Township.

Harry S. Truman High School is being used as a reunification center for those displaced by the fire, said Christopher Polzer, assistant superintendent of Bristol Township School District.

Officials describe heroic effort

Tuesday’s fiery explosion drew an all-hands effort as neighbors flocked to help and officers from as far as three municipalities away showed up to lend rescue assistance.

The explosion occurred at 2:19 p.m., immediately lighting up radios with calls of the disaster, according to Dippolito. Within minutes, firefighters were on scene and started pulling people out of the compromised building, he said.

Images from the scene show a large black plume of smoke billowing from the roof as emergency vehicles surrounded the building.

The people who were rescued “were being brought out by the fire department were handed off to the police officers, which came from every direction, and I believe every municipality around here and were literally carrying the patients,” according to Dippolito.

First responders were able to rescue two people from the collapsed basement just before the second explosion hit, Dippolito said.

That explosion and the subsequent fire “actually helped us identify where the leak was coming from in the basement, and we just prevented it from spreading into other parts of the building,” Dippolito said.

Shapiro praised first responders, saying in the initial response to the incident, “you saw what real heroism is all about.”

Nursing home recently changed ownership

Bristol Health & Rehab Center, where Tuesday’s fatal explosion took place, changed ownership at the beginning of December, Shapiro said.

On December 10, the Pennsylvania Department of Health visited the facility, where a plan was put in place to “upgrade the standards at this facility,” he said. He didn’t elaborate on what upgrades needed to be made or the details of the plan.

“That work will obviously continue with the new owners to ensure that they do what is necessary to keep residents safe at this facility and at the others where they are being taken to,” Shapiro said.

CNN has reached out to Bristol Health & Rehab Center for more information on Tuesday’s explosion and on the plan. CNN has also reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of Health for more information.

This story has been updated with additional information.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.