“We understand there are individuals trapped inside,” stated Ruth Miller, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

Bucks County officials alerted the agency to an explosion that occurred just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday at the Silver Lake nursing home located in Bristol Township, approximately 32 kilometers northeast of Philadelphia.

State Representative Tina Davis, whose district encompasses the area, mentioned she approached the scene by car but chose not to get in the way.

“I saw smoke and witnessed a steady stream of fire trucks and ambulances arriving from all over the city,” Davis reported.

There were discussions about utilizing a nearby school as a temporary evacuation center, she added.

Jim Morgan, president of the Bristol Township School Board, said district buses will be taking people from the emergency scene at the nursing home to a reunification centre at Truman High School.

He said officials were working on setting up beds and providing water and other needs to residents. As of 4pm no one had showed up at the school, Morgan said.

“It’s just so sad – it’s that hopeful time of year. This is just something that is sad for everybody and the families and the workers that are there,” Davis said.

“I hope there’s positive results from this. We don’t know at this point.”