1 dead and dozens injured in major explosion and fire at New York City shipyard, officials say
One person has died and dozens more have been injured in a major explosion and fire at a New York City shipyard, officials have said.
The fire broke out in Staten Island at around 3:30 p.m. Friday, and an explosion followed about an hour later as crews were fighting the flames.
One civilian was killed and another was injured following the blast, according to officials. There were also 34 first responders wounded, including a fire marshal in critical condition and a firefighter who was seriously injured.
“I am deeply moved by their courage as well as by their service to this city,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a press conference later Friday. He also shared his “deepest condolences” with the loved ones of the civilian who had died.
Firefighters arrived at the shipyard following a report that two workers were trapped in a confined space of a dry dock, the New York City Fire Department said. A dry dock is a platform where ships can rest for maintenance.
open image in galleryCrews then found a fire in the basement of a metal structure in the back of the shipping docks, according to officials.
Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said first responders had to deal with “limited visibility and high levels of smoke, heavy smoke.”
Mamdani said more than 200 first responders have come from across New York City to help with the explosion. He said the fire was brought under control but that it remained an “active fire scene.”
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
Fire trucks lined the street near the shipyard, and a man dressed in fire gear and apparently holding his chest was filmed being rolled out on a gurney, according to a video obtained by local outlet WABC.
open image in galleryHazmat crews, the Department of Buildings and the Department of Environmental Protection were among the agencies who responded to the explosion. The New York City Police Department was also at the shipyard, the WABC video showed.
Dr. David Prezant, the fire department’s chief medical officer,
New York Attorney General Letitia James said she was “praying” for the FDNY firefighters “and everyone injured after the explosion in Staten Island today.”
“Thank you to the FDNY for their swift response and for protecting New Yorkers everyday,” she wrote on X.
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