Victims Identified In Bucks Co. Nursing Home Explosion

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA — Authorities said that a resident and a staffer were the two people who died during a gas explosion at the Silver Lake Nursing Home on Tuesday afternoon that also left 20 people hospitalized.

Police Chief Charles Winik said that the victims of the gas explosion in the 900 block of Tower Roadwere both women.

Bucks County Coroner Patti Campi identified one victim as Muthoni Nduthu, 52, of Bristol, a nurse who worked at the nursing home. Campi did not have the identity of the nursing home resident, who was taken to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital.

Winik said that 20 people have been hospitalized, and all residents and staff have been accounted for. An initial report late Tuesday night stated that a third person had died, but Winik said that person was resuscitated at a local hospital.

He said that of the 20 hospitalized, one person is in critical condition.

PECO said it had responded to a gas odor at the nursing home shortly before the explosion, NBC 10 Philadelphia reported.

Winik said that Bristol Township Police had never been recently called to the nursing home, which has 120 residents at the now-named Bristol Health and Rehab Center

The cause of the explosion is under investigation, authorities said.

"We were overwhelmed," Winik said when the incident was first reported. "We had tremendous support. It was a blessing that we were next to Lower Bucks Hospital. This was a difficult task. I've never seen so much heroism. They were running into a building where I could still smell smoke, and that still could collapse. This could have been a much more serious catastrophe."

The incident began at 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday. A three-alarm fire was reported, with damage to the building following a gas leak and explosion.

Bristol Township Police reported numerous injuries from the explosion as authorities tried to evacuate residents of the nursing home. The extent of those injuries was not known at this time.

Gov. Josh Shapiro was on the scene with authorities, providing the public with an update at a press conference on Tuesday night.

"We saw real heroism in Bucks County. Firefighters rushed towards danger to put out this fire and rescue people from the burning building, climbing up ladders to get people out of the fire and into the arms of police officers who then literally carried them on their backs to safety," Shapiro said. "It's the night before Christmas Eve, and still so many rushed out of their houses, away from their families, to help their fellow Pennsylvanians. They’re in our prayers along with the victims and their families — and the heroism they showed will not be forgotten."

Over 50 emergency personnel, fire crews, and police departments from Bucks and Montgomery counties, and New Jersey battled the blaze and helped rescue people from the gas explosion.

Bristol Township enacted a Declaration of Emergency after the gas explosion and building collapse.

Authorities also classified the scene as a Level 2 Mass Casualty incident.

Township Manager Randee J. Mazur said the explosion resulted in "significant structural collapse," risk of further collapse, and confirmed or suspected entrapment of persons within the affected building, posing an imminent and severe threat to life, health, safety, and property of residents, first responders, and the general public.

A declaration of emergency allows municipal officials to procure supplies, enter into emergency contracts, and incur obligations without regard to typical procurement formalities to expedite response and rescue efforts, consistent with a disaster.

"As this investigation continues in the coming days and weeks, my Administration will continue to work with local first responders and law enforcement to provide whatever resources are necessary to help the community recover and rebuild," Shapiro said.