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(CNN) — Two people are dead after a fire and explosion tore through a nursing home on the outskirts of Philadelphia on Tuesday, prompting local responders, bystanders and staff to rush the elderly residents to safety, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said.
One of those killed was an employee and the other was a resident, Bristol Police Chief Charles Winik said at a news conference Wednesday. Twenty people were initially hospitalized, but one has since been released. One person is in critical condition. No first responders were injured, he said.
Authorities had previously said some people were missing, but Winik confirmed all nursing home residents and employees have been accounted for.
Officials’ preliminary belief is that a gas leak caused the explosion, Shapiro said at a news conference Tuesday evening.
The investigation is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which arrived on the scene Wednesday morning, it said in a statement.
Investigators won’t be able to fully evaluate the natural gas service line until a safe path is cleared, which could take several days, they said. Once it’s safe, investigators “will continue documenting the accident scene and conducting further examinations of the pipeline and equipment involved.”
PECO, the local utility company, said in a statement Tuesday, “It is not known at this time if PECO’s equipment, or na...
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