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 of the first responders at a press conference later Friday. He also shared his “deepest condolences” with the loved ones of the civilian who had died.

Dr. David Prezant, the New York City Fire Department’s chief medical officer, gave details about the conditions of the two badly injured first responders.

He said the fire marshal was currently “intubated” after suffering head and brain injuries, but that the firefighter was “doing very, very well.”

Firefighters arrived at the shipyard following a report that two workers were trapped in a confined space of a dry dock, the FDNY said. A dry dock is a platform where ships can rest for maintenance.

Crews 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 during the press conference that first responders had to deal with “limited visibility and high levels of smoke, heavy smoke.”

Dr. Prezant explained that the fire marshal and firefighter badly injured suffered from “blast energy.”

“In a confined space, that energy hits you and can penetrate organs,” the doctor said. “Thankfully, both of these firefighters do not have penetrating injuries and they do not have blast injury damage to their organs.”

But Prezant said the wave of energy affected the fire marshal’s head and brain.

“He has a small, temporal fracture on the right side, which will heal well, and he has a small brain bleed on the left side,” the doctor said.

The fire marshal is being “very carefully” monitored for the next 24 hours to “make certain there’s not subsequent brain swelling. As long as there is not, he should do well,” Prezant added.

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 was still an “active fire scene.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Fire trucks lined the street near the shipyard earlier Friday, 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.

Hazmat crews, the Department of Buildings and the Department of Environmental Protection were among the agencies that responded to the explosion. The New York City Police Department was also at the shipyard, the WABC video showed.

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.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul posted an online statement as well: “Praying for everyone injured in today’s Staten Island shipyard explosion, including the @FDNY firefighters who rushed toward danger to save lives.

“State agencies are coordinating with city officials as investigators work to determine the cause.”