The facility, which officials also referred to as Silver Lake Nursing Home, partially collapsed into its basement. The cause is still under investigation, fire chief Kevin Dippolito said.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (Democrat) earlier called the explosion “catastrophic”.
At least two people were rescued from the structure that collapsed into the basement, Dippolito said.
Firefighters who rushed into the building detected “a heavy odour of natural gas”, and a second explosion occurred less than a minute after they exited the building, he said.
Firefighters pulled residents out of windows and doors and rescued those who were stuck in stairwells and lift shafts, Dippolito said, adding that some of the injured were also found outside the building. One police officer threw two people over his shoulder amid the frenzy to save as many as possible.
“I’ve never seen such heroism,” Winik, the police chief, said. “They were running into a building that I could, from 50 feet away, still smell gas and walls that looked like they were going to fall down.”
Several people were taken to local hospitals.
Robert Gragilla, 63, who lives blocks from the nursing home, said he heard a “deep boom” at around 2pm local time, then felt his house shake.
Gragilla and a neighbour headed toward the scene where he said they saw a massive emergency response that included many vehicles; some ambulances got stuck in the congestion.
The windows of the facility had been blown out by the blast, he said.
Emergency responders “were pulling people out and laying them in the grass”, Gragilla said, adding that he saw one person who appeared to be “in shock”. One woman had visible leg injuries and others were bloodied, he said.
About 40 minutes after the explosion, Gragilla said the building caught fire, with black smoke pouring out.
Despite the chaotic scene, he said, residents who live nearby brought blankets and pillows as they tried to comfort the people being rescued.
Saber Healthcare Group, an Ohio-based healthcare company affiliated with the nursing home, said today that staff members had reported the smell of gas to the energy company PECO before the explosion, and PECO was investigating.
PECO said that its crews responded to reports of a gas odour at the nursing home.
“PECO crews shut off natural gas and electric service to the facility to ensure the safety of first responders and local residents,” the company said.
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