2 dead and others missing after fire and explosion at a Pennsylvania nursing home
By Danny Freeman, Taylor Romine, CNN
(CNN) — Two people are dead and others are missing after a fire and explosion tore into a nursing home on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, spurring local responders, bystanders and staff to rush the elderly population to safety, Gov. Josh Shapiro said.
Initial reports indicated people were trapped, Ruth Miller, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency spokesperson, told the Associated Press earlier. No additional information about people being trapped has been released by the agency.
A portion of the building has reportedly collapsed and multiple agencies from Pennsylvania and New Jersey are responding, Bucks County spokesperson Jim O’Malley said in a statement.
The explosion appears to be gas related, authorities told the AP earlier in the day, although no cause has been released by officials.
Crews from PECO, the local utility company, responded to reports of a gas odor in the facility shortly after 2 p.m., the company told the AP in a statement.
“While crews were on site, an explosion occurred at the facility. PECO crews shut off natural gas and electric service to the facility to ensure the safety of first responders and local residents,” the utility said in a the statement.
CNN has reached out to local authorities for more information.
Bristol Health & Rehab Center, formerly known as the Silver Lake Nursing Home, said local authorities were responding to the facility in a Facebook post. It is located about 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia in Bristol Township.
Harry S. Truman High School is being used as a reunification center for those displaced by the fire, said Christopher Polzer, Assistant Superintendent of Bristol Township School District.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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