1 dead when barge explodes on Staten Island
By Jesse Zanger, Andrew Ramos
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New York (WCBS) — One person is dead after an explosion on a barge on Staten Island Thursday afternoon, the NYPD said.
The blast prompted a hazmat response, according to the FDNY.
Video from the scene shows the explosion tore open the top of a barge in Mariners Harbor.
The FDNY said it got the call at 2:37 p.m. for the incident on Richmond Terrace between South and Arlington avenues. The response grew to a second alarm at 3:18 p.m., with 160 emergency personnel responding to the scene.
Police said a man was found dead at the scene. The victim has not yet been identified. His cause of death is not yet known.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.
Residents in the area described hearing three explosions that then sparked a fire on a container on the barge.
“There were three explosions, but the first one was the biggest, and I said ‘That’s bad.’ And then I was praying that nobody got hurt,” one area resident said.
“I told them it was an explosion. I get down here, and that’s when the other explosions go, I called back again. I’m like, no, y’all really need to get here because it’s bad. They came really fast,” said another woman.
The fire has since been knocked down. Units remained on scene to secure the petroleum from the shipping container.
The cause of the blast is under investigation.
Residents were urged to avoid the immediate area.
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