A fire followed by an explosion at a shipyard on New York City’s Staten Island injured at least 16 people, the New York Fire Department said. At least three of them sustained serious injuries.
No casualties were reported in the immediate aftermath of the incident, with the cause still under investigation, the Associated Press cited the fire department as saying.
Two workers were reported to be trapped in a confined space at the dock at about 3.30 pm (local time) on Friday. Thereafter, firefighters found a fire burning in the basement of a metal structure at the dock, AP quoted Joanne Mariano, with the fire department’s press office, as saying.
The personnel were still making efforts to bring the blaze under control when a major explosion took place at the site around 50 minutes later, Mariano added.
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The fire was still burning at the time of publishing of this report, while emergency workers had counted at least 16 people on site with injuries by 5 pm (local time), Mariano said. More than 200 firefighters and emergency medical personnel from 68 units rushed to the site following the incident on Friday evening, according to the fire department.
Mariano added that these included two firefighters and one civilian with serious injuries. Two other personnel had sustained moderate injuries, with the rest having minor injuries. Mariano said that emergency crews were still working on providing the final patient count, according to AP.
The dock houses several businesses, including a coffee roasting company and a self-storage facility. The shipyard was previously owned by the Bethlehem Steel Company, which built ships for the US Navy during World War II, AP reported.
New York Attorney General Letitia James in a post on X said she was “praying” for the 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 said.
