Key takeaways

• Two people died and about 20 were hospitalized after an explosion and fire at a Bristol Township, Pennsylvania nursing home on Dec. 23.
• PECO crews were responding to a gas odor report when the explosion occurred, and a second blast followed soon after.
• Part of the building collapsed, and rescuers pulled people from debris and interior areas including stairwells and elevators.
• Federal investigators say they are now testing gas lines and soil and interviewing key witnesses and responders.

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An explosion and fire at a Pennsylvania nursing home in Bristol Township has killed two people and sent about 20 others to hospitals, after a section of the building collapsed during the emergency response. Authorities say the blasts hit Bristol Health & Rehab Center, a 174-bed facility also known locally as the former Silver Lake Nursing Home, on Tuesday, Dec. 23, shortly after 2 p.m. Officials have identified one of the people killed as 52-year-old employee Muthoni Nduthu. The second person killed was a resident, and officials have not released the resident’s name.

PECO, the local utility, said its crews were called to the facility earlier that day for a reported gas odor, and the explosion happened while crews were on scene. Officials have described a strong smell of natural gas during rescue operations. Fire officials said the first responders encountered a major structural collapse, including part of the first floor falling into the basement area. Victims were pulled from debris, blocked stairwells, and elevators as firefighters worked under continued gas-risk conditions.

A second explosion followed soon after the first, according to fire officials, prompting crews to pull back briefly before continuing the search and evacuation. By later updates, officials said all residents and staff were accounted for. Some early reports temporarily reflected a higher death count before officials clarified the final number of fatalities as two. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has described the incident as “catastrophic,” while emphasizing that investigators are still working to confirm the cause. State and federal agencies have been involved as the scene is stabilized and reviewed.

On Dec. 27, local reporting said the National Transportation Safety Board is testing the natural gas service line from the street to the building, along with surrounding soil, and is interviewing witnesses, first responders, and PECO employees. Officials have not publicly said whether any Nepali-origin residents or staff were among the dead or injured as of Dec. 27.