Authorities spent Saturday searching through a New York City shipyard for clues about what triggered a deadly blast and fire that claimed one life and left more than 30 firefighters and emergency workers injured.
Officials offered few new details about the incident that unfolded Friday afternoon in Staten Island’s Mariners Harbor area on the north shore. Investigation teams continued their work at the scene while some firefighters remained on standby as a safety measure, authorities reported.
Emergency crews rushed to the shipyard around 3:30 p.m. Friday after receiving reports of flames, thick smoke, and two workers stuck in a below-ground area, according to city Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore. Within less than an hour, while firefighters and medical teams were actively responding, a powerful explosion struck the location, officials reported.
One civilian lost their life in the incident, while another sustained injuries. Officials confirmed that a fire marshal and one firefighter suffered severe injuries, with 29 additional firefighters experiencing minor to moderate harm and four medical personnel receiving minor injuries. Hospital staff treated all the wounded.
“We got very lucky this day,” Bonsignore stated during Friday evening’s press briefing. “We got lucky in the sense that none of our people were killed. It’s unfortunate we had one fatality, and they did everything they could to get to that person.”
Officials had not disclosed the identity of the deceased person by Saturday.
Fire marshal Christopher Cuccaro, who was among the seriously injured, sustained a skull fracture and bleeding in the brain, reported the fire department’s chief medical officer Dr. David Prezant. Medical staff listed his condition as critical but stable.
“We will be watching him very carefully over the next 24 hours to make certain there is not subsequent brain swelling. As long as there is not, he should do well,” Prezant explained during Friday’s press conference.
Both Cuccaro and the other severely injured firefighter were hurt by the blast’s shock wave, Prezant explained. The second firefighter was recovering “very well,” he noted.
“Thankfully both of these firefighters do not have penetrating injuries and do not have blast injury damage to their organs, to their heart, lungs or abdomen,” Prezant stated.
The blaze and explosion took place inside a metal building measuring 150 feet by 150 feet located at the shipyard’s rear section, Bonsignore reported. Approximately 200 firefighters and medical personnel arrived to handle the emergency.
Local resident Richard Oviogor, who was nearby during the incident, described hearing two separate explosions and experiencing what felt like a “big shock wave” when speaking with WABC-TV.
The surrounding area houses multiple businesses, including a coffee roasting operation and a storage facility. The shipyard was previously under the ownership of the Bethlehem Steel Company, which constructed naval vessels for the U.S. Navy during World War II.
