A fire marshal remains in critical condition and a firefighter is seriously hurt after a massive explosion rocked a Staten Island shipyard Friday afternoon.
FDNY officials are investigating the cause of a Staten Island shipyard fire and explosion that killed one person and left dozens injured, including a fire marshal.
The FDNY says they received a report of workers trapped around 3:30 p.m., and a fire in the back of the shipyard, followed by a major explosion around 4:20 p.m. As soon as they arrived on scene, the situation was immediately dire and firefighters scrambled to get to the workers trapped in the basement of a metal structure near the docks as it was on fire.
"While we were conducting these searches, a second explosion occurred and we had firefighters inside," said FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito. The second blast shook the neighborhood - and the FDNY. The patient count climbed quickly, and among the 34 FDNY members who were injured, a fire marshal and firefighter were hurt the worst.
"They're suffering from something that is silent, which is a blast energy. In a confined space, that energy hits you and can penetrate organs," said FDNY Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Prezant. The Fire Marshal suffered a temporal fracture and brain bleed, but he survived the tight quarters of a daring rescue.
"We got very lucky this day. We got lucky in the sense that none of our people were killed. It's unfortunate that we have one fatality and they did everything they could to that person," said FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore. There was tragedy, but there was also bravery.
"That is the story of this fire as well. It is first responders from across the city rushing in to try to save the lives of those in danger. And in doing so exposed themselves as well to that danger," said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The Fire Marshal, identified by the FDNY as Christopher Cuccaro was on scene as part of a special search and rescue team to deal with tight spaces.
He had a search dog with him who was uninjured. Cuccaro is currently intubated in critical condition. The doctor says he is being watched very closely and if there is no brain swelling, he should make a recovery. Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover?
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