At least 16 injured in Staten Island shipyard explosion

An explosion and fire at a Staten Island shipyard injured at least 16 people after workers were reported trapped around 3:30 p.m. at 3075 Richmond Terrace, between Lockman Avenue and Andros Avenue.

The injured included a civilian believed to be a worker, two firefighters with serious injuries, two firefighters with moderate injuries, nine firefighters with minor injuries, and two EMS members with minor injuries. The FDNY said the fire started in the back of the shipyard near a dry dock before a major explosion around 4:20 p.m.

3075 Richmond Terrace

Richard Obiozor said he saw the scale of the response build fast. “We saw a bunch of fire trucks and I heard someone say every single fire truck and police officer on the entire island was over here,” he said. “A couple minutes later, a massive explosion, shock wave came in and a person in a white suit, I think the captain, said 'back up.'”

The injured were taken to area hospitals after several firefighters issued maydays while battling the blaze. Police sources said a worker may still have been unaccounted for.

FDNY Response on Staten Island

Officials asked drivers to avoid the area because of road closures. The fire and explosion happened while workers were doing work in a confined space near the dry dock, and the cause was not yet clear.

With firefighters among the injured and a worker possibly still missing, the immediate focus is the hospital response and the search around the shipyard rather than the cause. The site remains a live emergency scene, and the road closures affect anyone trying to reach that stretch of Richmond Terrace.