Two people were killed and 20 more were hurt Tuesday in explosions at a nursing home in a Philadelphia suburb after a suspected gas leak, local authorities said, sending firefighters and police officers into a scramble to rescue those inside.
One resident and one employee were killed in the blasts at Bristol Health and Rehab Center in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, Bristol Township Police Chief Charles Winik Jr. said at a Wednesday news conference. One of the 20 people injured remains in critical condition, he said.
Muthoni Nduthu, 52, was among those killed in the blast, said Scott Croop, a Bucks County coroner.
Everyone who was inside the facility, which housed about 120 residents at the time of the explosions, has been accounted for, Winik said.
The facility, which officials also referred to as Silver Lake Nursing Home, partially collapsed into its basement after authorities said a first explosion occurred at about 2:19 p.m. The cause is still under investigation, Bristol Township Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito said Wednesday.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) earlier called the explosion “catastrophic.”
At least two people were rescued from the structure that collapsed into the basement, Dippolito said Tuesday. Firefighters who rushed into the building detected “a heavy odor of natural gas,” and a second explosion occurred less than a minute after they exited the building, he said.
Firefighters pulled residents out of windows and doors and rescued those who were stuck in stairwells and elevator shafts, Dippolito said, adding that some of the injured were also found outside the building. One police officer threw two people over his shoulder amid the frenzy to save as many as possible.
“I’ve never seen such heroism,” Winik, the police chief, said Wednesday. “They were running into a building that I could, from 50 feet away, still smell gas and walls that looked like they were going to fall down.”
Several people were taken to local hospitals. St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne received five patients from the explosion beginning at around 3:30 p.m., hospital spokesman Jason Griffith said.
Saber Healthcare Group, an Ohio-based health care company, said in a statement Wednesday that it became affiliated with the nursing home about a month ago.
Staff at the nursing home had reported the smell of gas to the energy company PECO before the explosion, and PECO was investigating, according to Saber.
“We have worked to improve and fix prior issues, and we will continue that work in the wake of this event,” the company said.
PECO said in a statement Tuesday that its crews responded to reports of a gas odor at the nursing home shortly after 2 p.m. and that the explosion occurred while its crews were on-site.
“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.
An October inspection by the Pennsylvania Department of Health showed the Silver Lake Health Care Center was “not in compliance” with several life safety codes, including a failure to maintain portable fire extinguishers in parts of the facility and failure to provide required smoke barrier partitions and used extension cords in a way that could create fire hazards.
Saber did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the findings.
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