Chief praises rescuers who sprang into action after Pa. nursing home explosion: "I've never seen such heroism"
The emergency response to the Bristol, Pennsylvania, nursing home explosion was the largest the local police chief has ever seen in his career spanning nearly two decades, he told reporters Wednesday. He praised the first responders and described extraordinary acts of heroism after the blast, which killed one resident and one staff member on Tuesday.
Agencies from across Bucks County and even Philadelphia flocked to the scene at the Bristol Health and Rehab Center, previously known as the Silver Lake Nursing Home, after two explosions there, accompanied by the smell of gas. Officials said the incident collapsed the cafeteria and kitchen area and spurred a massive effort to evacuate 120 residents from the facility.
Bristol Township Police Chief Charles Winik said he saw fire crews run into the building that still smelled of natural gas in an effort to evacuate residents.
"I've never seen such heroism," Winik said. "They were still going into the building to recover people that couldn't walk, they were in wheelchairs, some people couldn't talk. It just could've been a much more serious catastrophe."
In remarks made at the scene Tuesday night, Gov. Josh Shapiro mentioned one first responder who carried two people on his back out of the building. Winik said that was a Bristol Township police narcotics sergeant, a 20-year veteran of the department.
Winik credited the heroic work of everyone involved, not just law enforcement and firefighters. Staff from the nearby Lower Bucks Hospital, just across a parking lot, sprang into action too.
"It was blessing that we're next to a hospital. We had hospital staff come over and help us temporarily home [the nursing home residents]… It was a difficult task," he said.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick commended everyone involved in rescue and response efforts.
"When the moment demanded courage, our community delivered it. Firefighters, police officers, medics, nurses, and emergency personnel from across our region answered the call without hesitation, and because of them, lives were saved," Fitzpatrick said in a statement Wednesday.
Incident response unprecedented, chief says
The massive response was unlike anything the chief or his department had ever seen, he said.
"I've talked to several other officers and command staff that have been doing this longer than me, and they've never seen anything like it in this area," Winik added.
While work is still underway to investigate the nursing home site, Bristol officials are grateful that no first responders were injured, and for a community that came together.
"Bristol Township is one of those types of communities where we all come together when we recognize that we have a problem," said Winik. "We had employees from the building, as well, helping. We had nurses from the hospital, we had people from all over assisting. It was a tremendous effort from everybody in Bucks County."