A gas explosion followed by a partial collapse of the building resulted in a number of people being trapped inside a Pennsylvania nursing home on Tuesday afternoon.
The explosion and subsequent fire took place at Silverlake Nursing Home in Bristol Township, Bucks County — which is near Philadelphia — and first responders rushed to the scene.
More photos from the Silver Lake Nursing Home gas explosion in Bristol Pennsylvania
There are multiple injuries and the fire is not yet contained pic.twitter.com/ekI7gvnlw3
— PhillyCrimeUpdate (@PhillyCrimeUpd) December 23, 2025
Bucks County officials told The Associated Press that they were first notified that there had been an explosion at the facility shortly after 2 p.m. local time. Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Ruth Miller told the outlet they were also informed at that time that a portion of the building had collapsed and that an unknown number of people could still be trapped inside.
ABC News posted video of the fire that continues to burn on site, reporting that police have declared a “mass casualty incident” and have asked people to “avoid the area.”
BREAKING: A massive fire has erupted at a nursing home in eastern PA following a possible gas explosion, officials said.
Police described it as a “mass casualty incident” at the Silver Lake Nursing Home and asked people to avoid the area in Bristol.https://t.co/EN9IPJbJGe pic.twitter.com/JQDFwUDD03
— ABC News (@ABC) December 23, 2025
State Rep. Tina Davis, who represents the area including the Silver Lake facility, said that she approached the area in her car, but held back to avoid getting in the way of those working the scene: “I saw smoke and I saw car after car after car was a fire truck or ambulance from all over the city, from all over.”
“It’s just so sad — it’s that hopeful time of year. This is just something that is sad for everybody and the families and the workers that are there. I hope there’s positive results from this. We don’t know at this point,” Davis said.
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Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA) addressed the tragedy in a post on X, saying, “I’ve been briefed on the incident at Silver Lake Nursing Home in Bucks County, and my Administration is in contact with local officials and first responders on the ground. @PEMAHQ and @PAStatePolice have offered their full support and any resources needed. The scene is still active, and folks nearby should follow the direction of local authorities. Please join Lori and me in praying for the Bristol community.”
The Silver Lake facility gets poor ratings from Medicare overall, but no citations were issued when a routine fire inspection was done in 2024. A state level inspection done in October found several issues, however, including the absence of a Life Safety Code Floor Plan — a detailed map of the facility that shows the exact locations of exits and fire and smoke barriers.