A conflagration at a Staten Island marina led to the damage of a dozen boats and the injury of two firefighters yesterday morning. As reported by ABC7NY, the incident occurred around 4:45 a.m. in the Great Kills section, on Mansion Avenue. The inferno necessitated over an hour of arduous extinguishing efforts, with firefighters contending with darkness and fog which cloaked their vision, exacerbating an already challenging situation.
According to a narrative detailed by a SILive report, the fire is believed to have sprung from a single boat that was dry-docked. Deputy Chief David Simms, the acting Staten Island borough commander, conveyed that these were not diminutive craft, but rather "large vessels — these were 30, 40, 50-foot boats." The complexity of the firefighting effort was amplified due to the precarious stability of the boats, which were all perched on stands.
The damage wrought upon the vessels was considerable, and the two firefighters who sustained minor injuries in the line of duty were subsequently transported to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze. Simms pointed out the ongoing necessity of searches amongst the vessels, pending the further stabilization of the boats, as "stability is an issue." The operation drew 25 units consisting of 106 fire and EMS personnel, according to SILive.
Meanwhile, the local community had to contend with the pervasive stench of smoke well after the blaze was brought under control at about 10 a.m, which SILive described as an "acrid smell of smoke" lingering over the harbor. Despite the challenges, firefighters managed to confine the destruction to just the initial vessels consumed by flames. The sequence of events has prompted an investigation into the cause of the fire by the FDNY’s Bureau of Fire Investigation fire marshals, as reported by SILive.
Although preliminary reports from Hoodline mentioned no injuries and noted that four boats had been engulfed, the actual extent of the damage would become clearer as daylight broke and thick smoke dispersed, allowing firefighters a more accurate assessment. Visibility had been so poor that initial damage evaluations had to be deferred, with the smoke posing both a visual and health concern. The cause of the fire remains under scrutiny.
