‘I Have A Partial Building Collapse’: Recording Details Nursing Home Blast

A fire radio recording is providing a harrowing window into the first hour of the deadly gas explosion that leveled parts of the Silver Lake Nursing Home and Bristol Health and Rehab Center on Tuesday.

A staff member and a resident died in the blast and 20 others were taken to hospitals.

The audio, which shared by fire buff Mike Legeros and authenticated by LevittownNow.com, captures the call from the start to a three-alarm response and mass casualty incident that drew first responders from across the Philadelphia region and New Jersey.

The emergency began around 2:15 p.m. when a county dispatcher at the 9-1-1 Center in Ivyland Borough alerted the Third District Fire Company (Station 14) of a reported explosion at the facility on Tower Road in Bristol Township.

“Deputy 14 is on scene, Bucks,” Third District Deputy Chief Howard McGoldrick radioed shortly after arrival. “I have a partial building collapse … apparently, it’s a gas explosion. PECO is on scene and they’re requesting help.”

The scene McGoldrick calmly described was chaotic.

Natural gas fueled a “free-burning” fire in the kitchen area, which officials decided to let burn until utilities could be secured to prevent further explosions.

The nursing home’s first floor had collapsed into a basement that was filling with water from ruptured lines.

“Looks like I do have entrapment,” McGoldrick reported.

As the smell of gas hung over the site, firefighters pushed into the structure to reach the dozens of residents and staff that were inside.

Reports of “walking wounded” with head injuries quickly shifted to more dire accounts of people pinned under debris and a serious injury by a ladder truck.

“We need a Rapid Intervention Team to the collapse area,” one fire officer broadcast. “We have an active fire and three to four people trapped.”

“We have multiple people trapped in the kitchen area,” a firefighter said.

The building, which had about 150 people in it, had about 30 people inside minutes after the explosion and crews helped evacuate them wing where they were located.

Rescuers also faced hurdles inside the unstable building, including a resident trapped in an elevator stuck between the first and second floors.

Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito requested the township’s specialized rescue trailer.

Police cars needed to the moved to fire trucks and ambulances could get closer.

Commanders called for heavy machinery to move steel beams and concrete.

“We’re going to start needing stuff to move some steel roofing and beams and concrete,” one fire official radioed.

As the operation continued, police departments, including Solebury and Warminster townships, escorted heavy machinery to the scene to begin moving debris.

Dispatchers called for ambulances from across lower and central Bucks County to respond to the scene. The mass casualty incident was declared within minutes of the blast.

A command post was set up outside of the Bucks County Rescue Squad building, which sits across the street from the nursing home.

Fire crews used ladders to search rooms through blown-out windows and a drone was deployed to capture overhead head images that were sent to the command post.

At the height of the response, dispatchers worked to link out-of-county crews from to the local radio system.

Officials also closely tracked personnel at the scene, including a brief search for a local police officer and a Third District Fire Company firefighter who were both eventually located safely.

While police transmissions remained encrypted, officers told LevittownNow.com there were calls for sending patients to the nearby Lower Bucks Hospital.

The intensive search and recovery operation continued for hours.

The rescue and recovery operation ended around 9 p.m. Tuesday when the remains of a missing person were located in the rubble. Firefighters and the Bucks County Coroner’s Office helped remove the body.

“Got confirmation from the nursing home administrator: all employees, staff, and residents are accounted,” a commander broadcast shortly before 9:15 p.m.

Minutes later, some of the firefighters, who had been on the scene since the incident began, began breaking down their equipment and leaving.