Silver Lake nursing home explosion - ‘Loud kaboom' rocks medical facility; kills 2
Bucks County emergency management officials said they received the report of an explosion at approximately 2:17 p.m. and said a portion of the building was reported to have collapsed
A thunderous explosion tore through a nursing home just outside Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon, collapsing part of the building and leaving multiple people injured, with authorities warning that residents may have been trapped inside. Latest news report mentioned that there has been two casualties.
Local residents described hearing a “loud kaboom”, while police characterised the incident as a “mass casualty incident”.
Silver Lake nursing home explosion: Blast during gas leak inspection
The blast occurred at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center, formerly known as the Silver Lake Healthcare Center, in Bristol Township, roughly 25 miles (40 km) north-east of Philadelphia, reported Associated Press.
The explosion happened just as a utility crew had been inside the facility investigating a reported gas leak. Several hours after the incident, officials said the precise cause of the explosion remained unclear, as did the full extent of the casualties.
A thick plume of black smoke rose above the site as emergency responders descended on the area.
Silver Lake nursing home explosion: Emergency response and evacuations
Fire engines, ambulances and emergency crews from across the region rushed to the scene, supported by earthmoving equipment. Bucks County emergency management officials said they received the first report of an explosion at approximately 2:17 pm EST and were informed that a portion of the building had collapsed.
Ruth Miller, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, said her agency had been notified that people were trapped inside the facility.
Authorities confirmed there were injuries but had not said whether there were any fatalities.
Police Lieutenant Sean Cosgrove said he did not know if anyone was missing and confirmed that residents had been evacuated by emergency responders, bystanders and staff.
“A lot of the details at this point are still unknown,” he told reporters at the scene.
Police in nearby Upper Makefield Township posted on social media that it was a “mass casualty incident” and urged people to avoid the area.
Silver Lake nursing home explosion: Extent of damage still unclear
The Bucks County emergency dispatch centre said it received a report of an explosion with injuries at the Silver Lake Nursing Home shortly after 2 pm. County spokesperson Jim O’Malley said in an email: “A portion of the building is reported to have collapsed,” adding that emergency personnel from multiple agencies had been dispatched.
A front-facing section of the structure appeared to have been blown outward from inside the building, according to a Reuters photographer at the scene. While most of the facility remained standing, the majority of its windows were shattered.
The precise number of patients and staff inside at the time of the blast was not immediately known.
Silver Lake nursing home explosion: Patients evacuated amid uncertainty
The nursing home is certified for up to 174 beds, according to Medicare records. WCAU-TV, an NBC affiliate in Philadelphia, reported that more than 50 patients, aged between 50 and 95, are typically in the building at any given time, citing a nurse employed at the facility who arrived after the explosion.
An unspecified number of residents were evacuated by firefighters, police officers, emergency medical personnel, staff and bystanders, Lieutenant Cosgrove told local news outlet LevittownNow.com.
Philadelphia television station WCAU reported that multiple injuries had been confirmed.
Silver Lake nursing home explosion: Residents describe chaos and fear
Willie Tye, who lives about a block away, said he was at home watching a basketball game when he heard a “loud kaboom”.
“I thought an airplane or something came and fell on my house,” Tye said.
He went outside and saw “fire everywhere” and people fleeing the building. He said the explosion appeared to have originated in the kitchen area of the nursing home and added that some people who lived or worked there did not make it out.
Silver Lake nursing home explosion: Reports of gas smell before blast
Musuline Watson, who said she was a certified nursing assistant at the facility, told WPVI-TV/ABC 6 that staff had noticed the smell of gas over the weekend.
“Over the weekend, she and others there smelled gas, but ‘there was no heat in the room, so we didn’t take it to be anything.’”
Silver Lake nursing home explosion: Facility background and safety record
The nursing home is located about 20 miles (32 km) north-east of Philadelphia and is owned by Saber Healthcare Group, which said it was cooperating with local emergency authorities.
According to Medicare.gov, the 174-bed facility underwent a standard fire safety inspection in September 2024, during which no citations were issued. However, Medicare’s overall rating for the nursing home is listed as “much below average”, with particularly poor scores for health inspections.
(With inputs from agencies)