Pennsylvania nursing home blast kills two, leaves several unaccounted for

A powerful explosion tore through a nursing home outside Philadelphia on December 23, killing at least two people, partially collapsing the building, sending flames shooting outward, and trapping occupants inside, according to US media reports.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said at a subsequent news conference that emergency responders worked amid intense flames, a strong smell of gas, and even a second explosion as they evacuated residents and staff from the facility.

Fire officials said that more than five hours after the blast, crews remained in “rescue mode,” continuing search operations by hand and deploying search dogs, heavy earth-moving machinery, and sonar equipment to locate any additional victims who might be trapped in the debris.

The explosion occurred at the Bristol Health & Rehab Centre in Bristol Township, at a time when a utility crew was already present at the site investigating a reported gas leak. Shapiro stressed that while a gas leak was the suspected cause, that determination remained preliminary.

Bristol Township Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito said at a Tuesday evening briefing that five people were still unaccounted for. However, he cautioned that some of those individuals may have left the area with family members rather than being trapped inside the building.

The 174-bed facility is located roughly 20 miles, or about 32 kilometres, northeast of Philadelphia. The nursing home was recently affiliated with Saber Healthcare Group and had until recently, operated under the name Silver Lake Healthcare Centre.

State records show that the most recent inspection by the Pennsylvania Department of Health took place in October, when the facility was found to be out of compliance with multiple state regulations. According to the inspection report, the nursing home failed to provide accurate floor plans and did not properly maintain several stairways.

Inspectors also found that portable fire extinguishers were not adequately maintained on one of the building’s three levels and that the facility lacked required smoke barrier partitions, which are intended to limit the spread of smoke between floors during an emergency.

Separately, Medicare.gov records indicate that the facility underwent a standard fire safety inspection in September 2024 and received no citations at that time. However, Medicare assigns the nursing home an overall rating of “much below average,” citing particularly poor performance in health inspections.

By Tamilla Hasanova