Man who survived Bucks County nursing home explosion speaks on recovery
December 23, 2025, seemed like a normal day for Robert Flesch. A resident of the Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bristol, Pennsylvania, Flesch was going through his morning routine when it was interrupted with news of a gas leak.
“They came in and told us that they smelled gas and there was a gas leak. And that was around 9 o’clock,” Flesch said. “And they said we’re going to evacuate my room so go to the common area.”
Flesch told NBC10 he and other residents waited in the common area for hours, wondering what was happening. Then, by the afternoon, things appeared to be returning to normal.
“They came and they said, ‘It’s all safe. PECO fixed it. You can go back to your room.’ And I said, ‘Are you sure? A gas leak is pretty serious.’ And I still smelled gas when I went back,” Flesch said.
An explosion then occurred at the facility, causing the building to catch fire and partially collapse. Three people were killed while at least 20 others were injured.
“Within three minutes, all hell broke loose, and the whole building just collapsed,’ Flesch said.
Deadly nursing home explosion
Flesch – who uses a wheelchair — was able to escape and get outside with the help of a worker at the facility. It was then that he realized the magnitude of what happened, all while wondering how he managed to survive.
“God had me in a bearhug because if I was one inch to the left or one inch to the right, I’d have been decimated,” he said.
Flesch is now recovering both physically and mentally at another nursing home about 80 miles away from Bristol.
“I wake up and it’s like I hear the screaming,” he said. “I’m still in shock. I mean I’m still trying to get my head together.”
Flesch also misses his friends from the nursing home.
“I don’t see them every day. I don’t have coffee with them. I don’t know where they are,” he said.
As Flesch adjusts to his new normal, he’s also trying to figure out what’s next.
“We’re going to hang in there,” he said. “We’re going to make it.”
Earlier in the week, four people who were injured in the explosion filed a lawsuit against Bristol Health & Rehab Center LLC as well as PECO, claiming their negligence is what led to the incident.
The lawsuit filed in Philadelphia court claims the defendants “were aware of a gas leak in the building and failed to take the steps necessary to evacuate the building, fix the leak and protect the residents, workers and others that were exposed to the horrific blast.”
NBC10 reached out to PECO on Thursday, asking them what time crews arrived at the nursing home following the reports of a gas leak and if residents were asked to leave their rooms at any point while PECO was at the scene. A spokesperson declined to comment, citing the ongoing NTSB investigation.
