Bristol Township, PA — An explosion rocked Silver Lake Healthcare Center on Tuesday afternoon, causing part of the nursing home to collapse and prompting a large, multi-agency emergency response as investigators worked to determine what triggered the blast.
Bucks County emergency officials said 911 received reports of an explosion with injuries at the facility, also known as Silver Lake Nursing Home, at approximately 2:17 p.m. on Dec. 23. Fire crews arriving on scene found heavy smoke and significant structural damage, leading to evacuations and an ongoing search of the building.
Authorities said injuries were reported, but officials did not confirm fatalities during initial briefings.
Possible gas-related incident under investigation
Officials described the explosion as a possible gas-related incident, though the exact cause had not been confirmed as of Tuesday evening. Investigators, including the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s safety division, were expected to review the incident as part of the investigation.
Utility officials said natural gas and electric service to the facility were shut off following the explosion to secure the scene and protect first responders and nearby residents.
“A lot of the details at this point are still unknown,” Lt. Sean Cosgrove said during a briefing, emphasizing that the situation remained fluid.
Heavy emergency response at the scene
Firefighters and emergency medical crews from across the region responded as smoke drifted over the surrounding neighborhood near Tower Road, between Bath Road and Fayette Drive. Residents nearby reported hearing a loud blast and feeling buildings shake.
A triage area was established near the scene as residents were evacuated from the damaged facility. Emergency officials said additional resources were brought in to support search and rescue operations, though they did not release details about specific tactics or equipment being used.
Bucks County Emergency Management activated its operations center to help coordinate the response and support first responders.
Facility details and oversight
Silver Lake Healthcare Center, located at 905 Tower Road, is a for-profit nursing facility licensed for 174 beds, according to Pennsylvania Department of Health records. The center provides both short-term rehabilitation and long-term skilled nursing care.
Federal data cited in national reporting indicates Medicare rates the facility’s overall quality as “much below average.” The same reporting noted the nursing home passed a standard fire safety inspection in September 2024 without citations.
Ownership details were not addressed by officials during Tuesday’s response.
Officials urge public to avoid area
State and federal officials said they were monitoring the situation closely and urged the public to stay clear of the area while emergency crews continued their work.
Investigators said more information would be released as the scene was secured and the cause of the explosion became clearer.
