An explosion occurred on May 22, 2026, at a dry dock facility in the Richmond Terrace section of Staten Island, New York City, killing one civilian and injuring 36 individuals [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The blast took place while firefighters were responding to a basement fire and attempting to rescue two workers trapped inside the building [1, 2, 3, 4, 6].

The emergency call was received around 3:30 PM local time reporting smoke coming from the basement of a 150-foot by 150-foot metal building, along with two trapped workers inside [5, 7, 8, 9, 10]. Over 200 firefighters and emergency personnel promptly responded and arrived on the scene within six minutes [5, 7, 8, 9, 10].

Two explosions were reported at the site, with the second explosion causing further injuries among firefighters inside the building during rescue efforts [5, 7, 8, 9, 10]. Witnesses described hearing two blasts and seeing a large shockwave [5, 7, 8]. Fire Department Chief John Esposito said, "Confined spaces are extremely dangerous for any rescue personnel" [5].

Among the injured are multiple firefighters and emergency responders. Two firefighters have been hospitalized: one fire marshal suffered a fractured temple and brain bleed and is intubated, while another firefighter is in serious but improving condition [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 6]. Fire Department Chief Medical Officer David Prezant said the intubated fire marshal will be "closely monitored... over the next 24 hours for brain swelling. If none occurs, he should recover well" [5].

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the incident "a complex, fast-developing emergency situation" and praised the first responders who "ran towards danger so others could escape to safety" [1]. The dry dock site, a former Bethlehem Steel Company shipyard, also includes local businesses such as a coffee roasting company and a self-storage facility nearby [3, 5].

As of the evening of May 22, the fire was partially controlled but still burning, with emergency personnel remaining on site [5, 7, 8, 9, 10]. Authorities announced that a comprehensive investigation into the fire and explosions will begin once the fire is fully extinguished [1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12].