Overview
- The blast occurred on the petroleum barge Casablanca and left an unidentified man dead and two FDNY firefighters injured, officials said Thursday.
- FDNY declared a second alarm and assigned 53 units with roughly 160 fire, EMS and hazmat personnel, and the fire was reported under control shortly before 5 p.m.
- Crews deployed a fuel unit and began draining excess petroleum from a damaged 10-by-40-foot shipping container to limit contamination.
- Authorities have not determined the cause or said whether hazardous material escaped the container, and investigators remain on scene gathering evidence.
- The incident is the second explosion on the Richmond Terrace waterfront in under four months after a May 22 blast that also killed a worker and injured dozens, raising ongoing safety and oversight questions for the shipyard area.