It happened at 3075 Richmond Terrace, between Lockman Avenue and Andros Avenue, on Friday.
The FDNY says it received a report of workers trapped around 3:30 p.m., along with a fire in the back of the shipyard. That was followed by a major explosion around 4:20 p.m. As soon as crews arrived on scene, the situation was dire. Firefighters scrambled to reach workers trapped in the basement of a metal structure near the docks, which 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 a firefighter were hurt most severely.
"They're suffering from something that is silent, which is 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 a brain bleed, but he survived the tight quarters during 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 for that person," said FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore.
One of the workers did not make it out alive. A second worker did escape, but was injured.
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, exposing themselves to that same 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 trained to operate in confined spaces. He had a search dog with him, which was uninjured. Cuccaro is currently intubated and in critical condition. Doctors say he is being closely monitored, and if there is no brain swelling, he is expected to recover.
Firefighter Vincent Delgado remains in serious condition.
----------
* More Staten Island news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Download our connected TV app