Part of the damaged building on Tuesday night. (Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com)
Officials have said the explosion appears to have been fueled by natural gas
Federal investigators continue sifting through the wreckage of a Bristol Township nursing home this week as they probe the cause of a fatal Dec. 23 explosion that killed two people.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the multi-agency investigation into the blast at the Silver Lake Nursing Home and Bristol Health and Rehab Center.
Officials have said the explosion appears to have been fueled by natural gas.
Muthoni Nduthu, 52, a nurse at the facility and a resident of Bristol Township, was killed in the explosion. A female resident also died from her injuries at a Philadelphia hospital.
James Garrow, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office, said it could take months to release information. The delay is due to the fact the office will finalize the resident’s death certificate before releasing more information.
While most staff and residents injured in the blast were discharged from hospitals by Tuesday, officials said some remain under medical care.
Because the NTSB has jurisdiction over pipelines, it is heading an investigative team that includes the ATF, OSHA, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, and local fire and police officials.
NTSB spokesperson Peter Knudson said over the weekend that investigators detected various levels of natural gas in the soil near the Tower Road facility.
The agency is focusing on three areas:
“We are a party to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation,” said PECO spokesperson Greg Smore. “We are fully cooperating with the NTSB and according to the NTSB rules, we are not permitted to comment on this matter.”
PECO has set up a mobile command center on Fayette Drive near the nursing home.
According to the NTSB, investigators are currently gathering “perishable evidence,” including maintenance records, pipeline pressure data, and soil conditions.
Sources with knowledge of the facility’s operations told LevittownNow.com that documents and records have already been turned over to federal officials.
The 174-bed nursing home was recently purchased by Saber Healthcare Group.
The company has since relocated dozens of displaced residents to other facilities across the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley regions.
At the scene, a fencing now surrounds the debris. Patient beds sit outside amid the rubble. Earlier this week, a prosthetic leg was seen resting against one of the beds.
Law firms, including Morgan & Morgan and Stark & Stark, have already begun representing victims of the blast.
“This tragedy has shattered the lives of those that rely upon Bristol Health & Rehab Center for a safe environment,” Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Ryan Will said in a joint statement. The firm added it is investigating the events leading up to the blast to “achieve justice for those impacted.”
The NTSB expects to issue a preliminary report in the coming weeks, a spokesperson said.
The agency noted it does not determine a probable cause during the initial on-scene phase of an investigation.
