2 dead, several unaccounted for after Bucks nursing home explosion; gas odor reported shortly before incident

The ebb and flow of families seeking information about loved ones who'd been at Bristol Health & Rehab Center slowed to a trickle at Truman High School by 8:30 p.m.

The Levittown high school had been serving as a reunification center for families.

Langhorne Chief of Police 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.

The Bristol nursing home rocked by an explosion and fire on Tuesday had been repeatedly 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 Silver Lake Healthcare Center — now operating as Bristol Health & Rehab Center — 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.

Two people were killed, several others were injured, and as many as five people were unaccounted for after an explosion at a Bucks County nursing home, where officials continued a search-and-rescue operation into Tuesday evening.

The deceased have not been identified.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said investigators were still working to determine what caused the explosion and to locate anyone who may be missing, urging the public to remain patient as crews work to identify victims.

Peco said Tuesday evening that its crews had responded “shortly after 2 p.m.” to reports of a gas odor at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center on Tower Road — minutes before an explosion rocked the nursing home.

“While crews were on site, an explosion occurred at the facility,” Peco spokesperson Greg Smore said in an emailed statement. “Peco crews shut off natural gas and electric service to the facility to ensure the safety of first responders and local residents.”

Bucks County emergency management officials said they received the report of an explosion at approximately 2:17 p.m., according to the Associated Press.

Daniel Purtell, whose law firm, McEldrew Purtell, represented the families of two victims in the 2017 Barclay Friends senior living complex fire in West Chester, said there are several possible causes of a fire in a nursing home, including those involving medical equipment, combustible gases and utilities.

He said preserving evidence at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center — and obtaining witness interviews before memories fade — will be key to reconstructing what happened.

“The timely investigation in cases like this is absolutely imperative,” Purtell said. “Was it electrical? Were there fuel sources? Were there sparks? Was there ongoing work in the facility? What in the facility is combustible?”

The smell of smoke and sirens of both ambulances and fire trucks pierced the blocks surrounding the Bristol Health & Rehab Center hours after an 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, they rushed to the campus, where they were met with chaos.

Authorities said there were injuries, but had yet to say whether there were any fatalities.

Bristol Township Police Lt. Sean Cosgrove said there were injuries, but that he wasn’t aware of any critical injuries.

“A lot of the details at this point are still unknown,” he told reporters at the scene.

Federal records indicate the building had an automatic sprinkler system.

The 174-bed facility, comprised of low-slung brick buildings, sits on a two-acre campus in Lower Bucks County. As of 2024, Silver Lake 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.

CommuniCare Health Services, a privately run for-profit nursing home operator based in Cincinnati, took over operations at Silver Lake in 2021. The facility was recently acquired by Saber Healthcare Group, and rebranded as Bristol Health & Rehab Center. Operators announced the new ownership and name in a Facebook post this month.

State Rep. Tina Davis, whose district includes the center, said she got near the scene in her car but did not want to interfere.

"I saw smoke and I saw car after car after car was a fire truck or ambulance from all over the city, from all over," Davis said.

She said there was talk of using a nearby school as a temporary evacuation area.

Emergency responders reported multiple injuries after an explosion rocked a nursing home Tuesday afternoon in Bristol Township in Bucks County.

Firefighters and police responded to the explosion and fire at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center, formerly known as Silver Lake Healthcare Center, at 905 Tower Rd.

It was not immediately known how many people were injured.