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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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Five people were still unaccounted for, but officials said they were unsure if those people were in the building.<\/p>\n
Responders pulled residents out of windows, stairwells, and elevators and carried them to safety, fire chief Kevin Dippolito told reporters. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
“There was one police officer who literally threw two people over his shoulders and ran” with them towards medical staff, he said. <\/p>\n
Several people were trapped in the basement of the collapsed building but were rescued, Dippolito said.<\/p>\n
“We’re still in rescue mode. We have not transitioned into a recovery mode,” he said.<\/p>\n
Emergency crews were still working to rescue people who may be stuck in the building, the fire chief said.<\/p>\n
Governor Josh Shapiro said the exact number of injuries was not yet known, and the cause of the blast remained under investigation.<\/p>\n
Images and videos posted on social platforms by local media outlets show a partially collapsed building with massive flames billowing out of it.<\/p>\n
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”. <\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n