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Two women were killed in a suspected natural gas explosion Tuesday at a Pennsylvania nursing home, where part of the building collapsed and trapped some prone, immobile residents inside, officials said.
“This is a very, very tragic moment,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told reporters Tuesday, describing the blast as “catastrophic.”
The explosion happened about 2:20 p.m. ET at Silver Lake Nursing Home in Bristol Township, around 20 miles from Center City, officials said.
The dead were a resident and a Silver Lake staffer, officials said Wednesday. The Bucks County Coroner’s Office identified the employee as Muthoni Nduthu, 52.
Twenty people were injured and taken to local hospitals, with one remaining in critical condition, officials said Wednesday.
By late Tuesday, all residents and staff members had been accounted for and the search had concluded, Bristol Township Police Chief Charles “CJ” Winik Jr. said. There are 120 residents of the nursing home, officials said.
“I’ve never seen such heroism,” Winik told reporters Wednesday, praising police officers and firefighters.
“They were running into a building that I could, from 50 feet away could still smell gas and [see] walls that looked like they were going to fall down — and they were still going in the building to recover people.”
Many of the residents pulled to safety could never have made it out on their own, Winik said.
He described how two residents came out on the back of one police sergeant, ordinarily assigned to the narcotics unit.
“They couldn’t walk. They were in wheelchairs. Some people couldn’t talk,” Winik said Wednesday of some of the rescued. “This could have been a much more serious catastrophe.”
The explosion sent part of the first floor crashing into the basement, Bristol Township Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito said, adding that first responders rescued people through windows and from the elevator shaft.
First responders from all over the region rushed to the scene to help, Winik and Dippolito said.
Winik said that he has been on the job for nearly two decades and that the blast was the most destructive event he has ever experienced in town.
“Talked to several other officers and command staff that have been doing this longer than me, and they’ve never seen anything like this in this area,” he said Wednesday.
Utility company PECO said its crews were at the scene because of a gas odor at Silver Lake Nursing Home when the explosion occurred.
After the initial blast, firefighters in the building could still smell a strong gas odor before a second explosion, Dippolito said. Firefighters were able to contain that fire and prevent it from spreading, he said.
Neighbor Keshawn Lovelace said he’s fond of nursing home residents and is struggling to grasp how this blast happened.
“I’m hurt,” Lovelace told reporters. “This is my neighborhood, so I feel like they are my family.”
Pennsylvania Emergency Management and state police “have offered their full support and any resources needed,” Shapiro said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Shapiro said that preliminarily it is suspected to have been from a gas leak.
New owners had taken over the nursing home a few weeks ago, and the Health Department visited the site on Dec. 10, Shapiro said. There were plans to upgrade and improve standards at the facility, Shapiro said.
The previous owner, Communi Cares, said in a statement Wednesday that its thoughts were with everyone affected by the tragedy.
“We want to extend our deepest sympathies to the residents, families, and staff impacted, and are keeping all of them in our thoughts during this difficult time,” the company said.
“While we are not affiliated in any way or operate the facility, and it is no longer part of our organization, we recognize the severity of this incident and the profound impact it is having on the community,” it said.
Bristol Township declared a disaster, which makes it easier for obtain additional resources — including a task force from Philadelphia that will assist — officials said.
Heavy machinery will be used to dig into the basement, Dippolito said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said that it is investigating and that its team arrived Wednesday. It won’t be able to fully investigate the gas pipeline until a safe path is cleared into the building, which could take several days, the agency said.
Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.
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