Injuries reported after explosion at nursing home in Bucks County

Multiple injuries were reported after an explosion rocked a nursing home Tuesday afternoon in Bristol Township in Bucks County, authorities said.

Shortly after 2 p.m., firefighters and police responded to an explosion and subsequent fire at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center — formerly known as Silver Lake Healthcare Center — at 905 Tower Rd.

State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, who represents the area, said in a statement that a gas explosion caused a major fire and building collapse at the facility.

“Multiple casualties have been reported, and the situation remains ongoing,” he said on Facebook.

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.

The nursing home, which is owned by Saber Healthcare Group, 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. We will be posting a contact number shortly and updates here as we have them.”

No fatalities were immediately reported, but it was unclear how many people were injured.

Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, press secretary at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, said investigators from the safety division were headed to the scene.

Hagen-Frederiksen said first responders and emergency management officials were describing it as a gas explosion, but that won’t be confirmed until his agency can examine the scene up close.

The smell of smoke and sirens of both ambulances and fire trucks pierced the blocks surrounding the facility 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.

“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, said Wilford.

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 87-year-old 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’d never had issues with the nursing home before.

The facility has 174 certified beds, according to the Medicare website.

» READ MORE: Check here for live updates on the explosion at Silver Lake

Firefighters from neighboring Pennsylvania counties and from New Jersey have responded to the scene.

The Philadelphia Fire Department sent its Rescue 1 unit and Engine 29 company to provide support, said department spokesperson Rachel Cunningham.

Jim Morgan, president of the Bristol Township School Board, said district buses were available to take people from the emergency scene at the nursing home to a reunification center at Truman High School, the Associated Press reported. Morgan said officials were working on setting up beds and providing water and other needs to residents. As of 4 p.m. no one had showed up at the school, Morgan said.

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who also represents the area, said on social media that he had been briefed on reports of an explosion at the nursing home.

“My team and I are in direct communication with local officials and emergency responders, and we are closely monitoring developments as authorities work to secure the scene and care for those affected. We will continue to stay engaged and share updates as more verified information becomes available,” Fitzpatrick said.

“For everyone’s safety, I urge you to please avoid the area. Please also join me in praying for the safety of the residents of the nursing home, the dedicated staff who care for them, and our brave first responders who rushed to the scene and ran toward danger without hesitation,” Fitzpatrick said.

State Rep. Tina Davis said she was “deeply concerned” by the reports of an explosion and fire at the nursing home.

“My thoughts are with the residents, their families, and the staff during this frightening situation. I am closely monitoring developments and remain in contact with local officials and first responders as they work to ensure everyone’s safety. I urge the public to avoid the area so emergency crews can do their jobs,” Davis wrote on Facebook.

Federal records indicate the building had an automatic sprinkler system.

The facility, composed of low-slung brick buildings, sits on two-acre campus in lower Bucks County. As of 2024, Silve 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 Cinninati, 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.

— Staff writer William Bender contributed to this article.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.