Two people were killed and more than a dozen were injured after a possible gas explosion rocked a Bucks County nursing home Tuesday, triggering a widespread emergency response and dramatic rescues and causing destruction that Gov. Josh Shapiro described as “quite catastrophic.”
Just before 2:20 p.m., an explosion and fire were reported at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center — formerly known as Silver Lake Healthcare Center and Silver Lake Nursing Home — at 905 Tower Rd. in Bristol Township, Bristol Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito said at a news conference with Shapiro and other officials Tuesday night.
Bristol Police Chief CJ Winik said during an update Wednesday morning that two women — one resident and one employee — had died. Nineteen people remained hospitalized, he said, including one person in critical condition.
As of Wednesday, he said, all residents and employees of the facility had been accounted for.
Emergency responders who rushed to the scene Tuesday found a major structural collapse, with parts of the first floor falling into the basement and people trapped, Dippolito said. Firefighters immediately went into rescue mode.
“They pulled many residents out of the building via windows, doors, stuck in stairwells, stuck in elevator shafts,” Dippolito said.
The people rescued from the building were handed off to police officers who “came from every direction, and I believe every municipality around here,” Dippolito said.
“There was one police officer who literally threw two people over his shoulders and ran with people to help,” the fire chief said.
Many people were injured, but the number was unknown early Tuesday night, Dippolito said. Two people were rescued from the collapsed area in the basement.
At one point, Dippolito said, there was a heavy odor of gas and the firefighters evacuated the building. Within 15 to 30 seconds, there was another explosion and fire, he said.
“There’s still a lot of unanswered questions,” Shapiro said.
Peco crews responded shortly after 2 p.m. to reports of a gas odor, a spokesperson for the utility said.
“While crews were on site, an explosion occurred at the facility,” Peco spokesperson Greg Smore said.
“Peco crews shut off natural gas and electric service to the facility to ensure the safety of first responders and local residents,” Smore said.
After the blast, a patient bleeding from his head was wandering the campus saying to himself how he had repeatedly told staff of a gas smell that lingered throughout the day, said a passerby who did not wish to be identified. The man was eventually treated and transported from the site, the passerby said.
The nursing home said in a Facebook post: “Emergency crews are responding to the incident here at Bristol Health & Rehab. We are currently working with local emergency authorities.”
As of 2024, the facility housed 162 residents — more than 75% of whom were 60 years or older — and had 129 full- and part-time staff members, records show.
The facility was recently acquired by Saber Healthcare Group and rebranded as Bristol Health & Rehab Center, which announced the new ownership and name in a Facebook post this month.
At the news conference, Shapiro noted the change of ownership.
“The Department of Health at the state level conducted a visit here on Dec. 10, and there was a plan put in place in order for these new facility owners to upgrade the standards at this facility. That work will obviously continue with the new owners to ensure that they do what is necessary to keep residents safe,” Shapiro said.
In an emailed statement Tuesday night, Saber Healthcare Group confirmed that workers at the nursing home “reported a gas smell to PECO. PECO personnel were on site investigating the matter prior to the explosion.”
Saber Healthcare Group thanked the first responders: “We are forever grateful for their bravery and support in protecting our staff and residents.”
The statement added: “Just 23 days ago, Saber Healthcare Group became affiliated with Bristol Health and Rehab Center — formerly Silver Lake Nursing Home. We have worked to improve and fix prior issues, and we will continue that work in the wake of this tragedy.”
The former owner, CommuniCare Health Services, a privately run for-profit nursing home operator based in Cincinnati, took over operations at the nursing home in 2021. The company manages more than 80 healthcare centers across five states.
The nursing home had been cited for unsafe living conditions, including the absence of a fire safety plan and adequate extinguishers, according to state inspection records.
During an Oct. 29 site visit, Pennsylvania Department of Health inspectors flagged the facility for failing to provide a floor map showing fire exits, fire barriers, and smoke barriers.
Officials also found the facility “failed to maintain portable fire extinguishers” on all floors. The state ordered corrections by Nov. 30.
It remained unclear whether those fixes were made before the blast, or whether the deficiencies affected residents’ ability to escape on Tuesday.
Other fire safety deficiencies have been documented. A 2024 inspection report found the nursing home hallways were not equipped to handle heavy smoke.
“The facility failed to ensure corridor doors were maintained to resist the passage of smoke, affecting two of four smoke compartments,” inspectors wrote.
Federal inspectors have cited the facility for deficient healthcare and management, issuing dozens of violations for substandard care. The most recent inspection, in March, indicated the center had failed to maintain proper infection prevention among residents and inadequately maintained medical records, among other problems.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the facility a one-star rating — far below the national average — based on recent inspections. The nursing home’s operators were fined more than $418,000 in penalties in 2024, records show.
In a statement, a spokesperson for CommuniCare Health Services, the former owner, said: “Our hearts go out to all those affected by the incident at the Bristol nursing home facility, formerly known as Silver Lake Nursing Home. We want to extend our deepest sympathies to the residents, families, and staff impacted, and are keeping all of them in our thoughts during this difficult time.”
The statement continued: “While we are not affiliated in any way or operate the facility, and it is no longer part of our organization, we recognize the severity of this incident and the profound impact it is having on the community. We are monitoring the situation closely and our thoughts remain with everyone impacted by this tragedy.”
Federal records indicate the building had an automatic sprinkler system.
The facility, composed of low-slung brick buildings, sits on a two-acre campus in Lower Bucks County. As of 2024, the facility housed 162 residents, more than 75% of whom were 60 years or older, according to the most recent inspection records.
The facility had 129 full- and part-time staff members as of 2024, records show.
On Tuesday evening, the smell of smoke and the sound of sirens from ambulances and fire trucks pierced the blocks surrounding the facility hours after the explosion led to a mass evacuation of nursing home patients.
Kim Wilford, 60, was visiting family for the holidays roughly two blocks from the facility when she felt the house shake, as though something had fallen on the roof.
When Wilford and relatives realized the explosion came from the nursing home, where her 87-year-old mother lives, they rushed to the campus and were met with chaos.
“It was something out of a Die Hard movie,” said Deanna Rice-Bass, 59, one of Wilford’s relatives, who recognized local nurses, not affiliated with the nursing home, evacuating people.
Patients were being wheeled out of the facility, but in some cases they were simply placed on mats outside, Wilford said.
First responders were instructing the able-bodied to take those with non-life-threatening injuries to nearby Lower Bucks Hospital.
Wilford panicked as she saw the outside of her mother’s room.
“Her window was blown out,” she said. “Naturally I freaked out.”
Wilford would later find her mother among the crowd of evacuees cleared to go to Lower Bucks Hospital.
“She said she and her roommate were lifted from their beds and back down,” said Wilford, adding she had never had issues with the nursing home before.
A reunification center was established at Truman High School, officials said.
Langhorne Police Chief Kevin Burns said about 35 families came in and filled out forms with their loved ones identifying information along with details such as their room number.
Greg Wolnomiejski, 59, spent Tuesday night trying to find out what happened to his 86-year-old father, who has been a resident at the nursing home since 2021.
Wolnomiejski, who lives in Florida, finally got a call from a police officer that his father was transported to Lower Bucks Hospital, but the officer had no other information.
“I know he’s alive,” Wolnomiejski said in a phone interview. “That’s all the information I have so far.”
Wolnomiejski said he had no complaints or concerns about the nursing home, which he visited on Saturday with his wife as part of a holiday trip to see his father.
“There was nothing that led me to suspect it was going to blow up in a couple days,” he said.
Staff writer William Bender contributed to this article.
