Nursing home explosion in Bucks County leaves 1 resident, 1 employee dead

BRISTOL TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — Two women are dead after an apparent gas explosion collapsed part of a nursing home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday afternoon.

Officials said at a news conference on Wednesday that the people killed include one resident and one employee.

The coroner tells Action News that the employee killed is a 52-year-old nurse named Muthoni Nduthu. She was a resident of Bristol, and the mother of three who range in age from 18 to 30 years old.

The name of the resident who died has not been released.

A total of 20 people were injured and sent to various hospitals after the blast. Of those injured, 19 of them remained hospitalized as of late Wednesday morning, with one of them in critical condition.

Police report that all employees and the 120 residents who were in the facility at the time have now been accounted for.

Federal agencies, including the NTSB and the ATF, have joined the investigation into what caused the explosion.

It happened around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday in the kitchen/cafeteria area of the Bristol Health and Rehab Center, formerly known as Silver Lake Nursing Home, on the 900 block of Tower Road in Bristol Township.

PECO said crews were called there a few hours earlier after getting reports of a gas odor.

The explosion occurred while crews were on the scene. PECO said it’s not known at this time if their equipment, or natural gas, was involved in the incident.

“This is very hard for me,” said Faith Wampole. “I’m going to get there. I’m a fighter.”

Faith Wampole, 72, remains in the hospital after she was seriously injured.

Her niece is at her beside.

“It’s a blessing to know she’s okay and know she’s being taken care of, and she’s safe,” said Carol Reilly-Strickland.

Wampole said she was sitting in the activity area nearby when it collapsed.

“The lights went out and then it went boom. The ceiling came down. It got all foggy,” said Wampole. “It was terrifying. There was blood. People were hollering.”

Video from the Action Cam showed flames erupting from the building. Debris could be seen scattered around the area.

Gov. Josh Shapiro asked his fellow Pennsylvanians to take a moment to pray “for this community, for those who are still missing, for those who are injured, and for those families who are about to celebrate Christmas with an empty chair at their table.”

Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito described a chaotic rescue where firefighters found people stuck in stairwells and elevator shafts and pulled residents out of the fiery building through windows and doors. Two people were rescued from a collapsed section of building, he said.

Firefighters handed off patients to waiting police officers outside, including one “who literally threw two people over his shoulders,” Dippolito said. “It was nothing short of extraordinary.” A second explosion erupted during the rescue, he said.

Nduthu’s family and friends were at a loss for words Wednesday.

“She’s a very hardworking nurse, sometimes even pulls a double, so we knew she was at work,” said Nduthu’s best friend Rose Muema, who described her self as more like a sister.

She was surrounded by Muthoni’s husband and three sons.

“We don’t have a lot of information, we are still waiting. But it’s been so shocking to the Kenyan community,” Muema said. “She’s from Kenya.”

Nduthu’s family is preparing to celebrate the holiday without her.

“She had seasoned chicken for us to celebrate Christmas with her. So, the chicken is still in the fridge. We don’t know what to do, just look at jt,” said Muema.

For registered nurse Riddhi Patel, the destruction was also personal. Patel, who works at the center, said she was off when the explosion tore through the building.

“I know exactly who was in what room, and to see that I can look right through it…” she said as her voice trailed off.

Patel says Nduthu as a positive person who always made her coworkers smile.

“She was always laughing at work, no matter how hard the shift was,” Patel said of Nduthu.

The 174-bed nursing home was purchased by Saber Healthcare Group just a few weeks ago.

In a statement, Saber called the explosion “devastating.” It said facility personnel had promptly reported a gas smell to PECO before the explosion and that it was working with authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of staff, residents and the community.

Residents are being housed in two other facilities that are owned by the same company.

Facility not in compliance with some regulations in last inspection

The latest state inspection report for the facility was in October, when it was owned by a different company, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health found that it was not in compliance with several state regulations.

The inspection report said the facility failed to provide an accurate set of floor plans and properly maintain several stairways.

It said the facility failed to maintain portable fire extinguishers on one of the three levels and failed to provide the required “smoke barrier partitions,” which are designed to contain smoke on two floors.

According to Medicare.gov, the facility underwent a standard fire safety inspection in September 2024, during which no citations were issued.

Medicare’s overall rating of the facility is listed as “much below average,” with poor ratings for health inspections in particular.

(Editor’s note: Police initially said a third person had died, but later clarified that one of the original victims was resuscitated at a local hospital. However, one female employee was later recovered deceased during the final search).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.