BRISTOL, PA– Construction crews worked to remove collapsed walls and ceilings from a building Pennsylvania nursing home Wednesday to help investigators find the cause of the explosion that killed a resident and employee, and begin a dramatic evacuation amid falling debris and debris. fire.
The explosion, which occurred on Tuesday afternoon, led to the transfer of 20 others to hospitals, including one person in critical condition. The rest of the employees and 120 residents were identified after hours of searching the wreckage, said Bristol Township Police Chief Charles Winnick.
The police chief and health officials said the survivors were taken to a nearby nursing home.
The employee who died was 52-year-old Muthoni Nduthu, the Bucks County Coroner’s Office said. The authorities did not immediately identify the citizen who died. Both victims were women.
Officials said they did not yet know the cause of the explosion at Bristol Hospital & Al Rehab Centre, although a facilities crew was on site to investigate a gas leak reported when the explosion occurred. The tornado was so strong that it shook nearby homes in Bristol, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Philadelphia.
The wing of the facility that housed the kitchen and cafeteria was almost completely destroyed, the roof collapsed, portions of the walls were completely missing and windows on adjacent walls were blown out. Debris scattered on the ground.
Winnick said the extent of the casualties could have been much worse. Police and firefighters poured out of the area, while staff from a nearby hospital and neighbors rushed to help evacuate the injured. One person was resuscitated at the hospital, officials said.
Firefighters braved the intense smell of gas, flames, collapsing walls and even a second explosion to rescue people trapped in stairs, elevator shafts and under rubble, authorities said.
“I’ve never seen such heroism,” Winnick told reporters on Wednesday. “They were running toward a building that I could still — from 50 feet away — smell the gas, and the walls looked like they were about to fall.”
The police chief said some residents could not walk or talk, and some were in wheelchairs.
Winnick said 19 people remained hospitalized Wednesday. Federal agencies were assigned to assist in the investigation while crews cleared the wreckage.
“Until we excavate the area and remove the walls and ceilings that collapsed, we will have no idea what may have happened there,” Winnick said.
The explosion at the 174-bed nursing home occurred shortly after facilities staff responded to reports of the smell of gas at the facility, authorities said. The local gas company, PECO, said crews shut off natural gas and electric service to the facility, but they did not know if utility or gas equipment was involved in the explosion.
Willie Tye, who lives a block away, said he was watching a basketball game when he heard a loud bang.
“I thought a plane or something came and fell on my house,” he said. When he got out, he saw “fire everywhere” and people fleeing the building.
State records show the facility was cited for multiple violations during its last inspection in October by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, including failure to submit accurate floor plans, and to properly maintain stairs and fire extinguishers on one level. Inspectors also noted the facility lacked required smoke barriers designed to contain smoke through floors.
The facility’s overall rating by Medicare is listed as “well below average,” with poor ratings for health inspections in particular.
Musulin Watson, who said she was a certified nursing assistant at the facility, told WPVI-TV that staff smelled gas over the weekend, but did not initially suspect a serious problem because there was no heat in that room.
The nursing home recently became affiliated with Ohio-based Saber Healthcare Group, which called the explosion “devastating” and said in a statement that facility staff immediately reported the smell of gas to the local gas utility before the explosion.
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Levy and Solforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Associated Press reporters Mingsun Lau in Bristol, Pennsylvania; Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, and Michael Casey in Boston contributed to this report.