The fire and explosion occurred in a 150-by-150-foot metal structure at the rear of the shipyard.
Investigators were combing a New York shipyard Saturday trying to find the cause of a fire and explosion that killed one person and injured more than 30 firefighters and other first responders.
Authorities did not provide a major update on the incidents that occurred Friday afternoon in the Mariners Harbor neighborhood on Staten Island’s north shore. In addition to investigators, several firefighters were at the scene as a precaution Saturday, officials said.
Firefighters were called to the shipyard around 3:30 p.m. Friday after reports of a fire, heavy smoke and two workers trapped in a basement area, city Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said. Less than an hour later, as firefighters and emergency medical personnel worked at the scene, an explosion rocked the site, officials said.
One civilian lost his life and another was injured. Authorities said one firefighter and one firefighter were seriously injured, while 29 firefighters had minor to moderate injuries and four emergency medical personnel had minor injuries. All were taken to area hospitals.
“We were very lucky today,” Bonsignore said at a press conference Friday evening. “We were fortunate in the sense that none of our people were killed. It’s unfortunate that we had a fatality and they did everything they could to get to that person.”
The name of the person who died was not released as of Saturday.
The fire marshal who was injured, Christopher Cuccaro, suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain, said fire department chief medical officer Dr. David Present. He was in critical but stable condition.
“We’re going to watch him very carefully over the next 24 hours to make sure there’s no subsequent brain swelling. As long as there isn’t, he should be fine,” Prezant said at Friday’s news conference.
Cuccaro and the other firefighter with serious injuries were injured by the shock wave from the explosion, Prezant said. The firefighter was doing “very well,” he said.
“Thankfully both of these firefighters have no penetrating injuries and no blast damage to their organs, their heart, lungs or abdomen,” Prezant said.
The fire and explosion occurred in a 150-foot-by-150-foot (46-meter-by-46-meter) metal structure at the back of the shipyard, Bonsignore said. About 200 firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded.
Richard Oviogor, who was in the area, told WABC-TV that he heard two explosions and what sounded like a “huge shock wave.”
The area is home to several businesses, including a coffee roasting company and a self-storage facility. The shipyard was once owned by the Bethlehem Steel Company, which built ships for the US Navy during World War II. By DAVE COLLINS Associated Press
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