At least two people have died and several others were injured after an explosion and fire at a Pennsylvania nursing home caused a partial collapse of the building.
Emergency crews were called to the Silver Lake Nursing Home in Bristol at about 14:00 local time (19:00GMT) on Tuesday after receiving reports of a gas odour. When crews arrived, the building exploded causing a massive fire, authorities said.
Five people were still unaccounted for, but officials said they were unsure if those people were in the building.
Responders pulled residents out of windows, stairwells, and elevators and carried them to safety, fire chief Kevin Dippolito told reporters.
“There was one police officer who literally threw two people over his shoulders and ran” with them towards medical staff, he said.
Several people were trapped in the basement of the collapsed building but were rescued, Dippolito said.
“We’re still in rescue mode. We have not transitioned into a recovery mode,” he said.
Emergency crews were still working to rescue people who may be stuck in the building, the fire chief said.
Governor Josh Shapiro said the exact number of injuries was not yet known, and the cause of the blast remained under investigation.
Images and videos posted on social platforms by local media outlets show a partially collapsed building with massive flames billowing out of it.
Shapiro praised the support from authorities around the region who rushed to offer assistance, and said that the residents living near the nursing home were “outstanding”.
“We had residents coming out of their houses offering to help us,” he said. “This is the Pennsylvania way: neighbors helping neighbors in a moment of need.”
