A fiery explosion at a Staten Island shipyard Friday afternoon left one civilian dead and dozens injured, most of them firefighters and emergency medical workers, according to officials.
The New York City Fire Department received a distress call at 3:27 p.m. reporting a blaze at 3075 Richmond Terrace, a site that houses several industrial businesses. First responders arriving at the scene discovered people trapped in a confined space within a metal structure at the rear of the shipping docks, officials said.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani described the incident as a “complex, fast-developing emergency situation” during a press conference Friday evening. The fire initially broke out in the basement of the metal building before escalating into two separate explosions, authorities said.
A second alarm, which summoned additional firefighting resources, was called at 4:08 p.m., followed by a major explosion at about 4:19 p.m. FDNY spokesperson Joanne Mariano said that by 5 p.m., emergency workers had counted 16 people with injuries, including two firefighters and one civilian in serious condition. Two additional firefighters sustained moderate injuries, while the rest had minor injuries. Two EMS workers were also among those with minor injuries. Later, the number of injured climbed to 30, and ultimately to at least 35, the fire department confirmed.
More than 200 firefighters and emergency medical personnel from 68 units were on the scene Friday evening, Mariano added. The cause of the fire and explosion remains under investigation.
The shipyard, once owned by Bethlehem Steel Company and used to build Navy ships during World War II, now hosts a mix of businesses, including a coffee roasting company and a self-storage facility. The area has seen a surge in industrial activity in recent years, but the site’s aging infrastructure has raised safety concerns among local residents.
The tragedy comes amid a string of industrial accidents in the region. Earlier this year, an explosion near a Pennsylvania polling site rattled primary voters, highlighting the risks of aging industrial facilities. Separately, the Navy chief has warned that potential war costs could trigger training and personnel cuts by July, underscoring broader defense and infrastructure challenges.
Local officials have pledged a thorough investigation. “We will leave no stone unturned to determine what led to this devastating event,” Mayor Mamdani said. The FDNY has urged anyone with information about the incident to come forward.
