By Luke Peteley
Staten Island Advance
NEW YORK — After a 2-alarm fire and explosion last month in Mariners Harbor killed one person and injured 40 others, city officials are crediting a local hospital’s “clinical excellence” in treating the wounded and staving off additional casualties.
On Thursday, Richmond University Medical Center was recognized with a citation from city officials for its efforts during the May 22 incident at May Ship Repair on Richmond Terrace. The hospital dispatched ambulances and treated 20 patients, many of whom were FDNY members.
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Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Helen Arteaga Landaverde presented the citation during a ceremony at the West Brighton medical facility.
“We came here today to recognize the amazing work that you did with so much compassion and so much clinical excellence,” Arteaga said. “We wanted to let you know that we here at the city thank you and support you all the way.”
The hospital is designated as a level-1 adult trauma center, which is the highest level of trauma care available in the U.S.
Arteaga Landaverde was joined Thursday by Yesenia Mata, commissioner of the New York City Department of Veterans’ Services, and Dr. Mitchell Katz, president and chief executive officer for New York City Health + Hospitals.
The citation was presented on behalf of Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The mayor held a press conference on the day of the incident at Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze, where several of the patients were treated.
Among those in attendance Thursday was Councilmember David Carr, a Republican who represents the Mid-Island.
“Sometimes the people who need help the most are our first responders,” Carr said. “RUMC delivered and RUMC made sure that those individuals went home to their families.”
‘A very complex situation’
On the evening of May 22, emergency crews were called to the 3000 block of Richmond Terrace for a report of smoke and flames at an industrial site along the borough’s North Shore waterfront. The situation quickly escalated.
During a press conference that followed, Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said FDNY units arrived within six minutes of the call. They were met with heavy smoke emanating from the basement of a 150-by-150-foot metal structure in the rear of a shipping dock.
“This was a very complex situation that put us in a position to really show the skill and the bravery of the FDNY,” said Bonsignore.
“This is stuff that they do over and over again; we got very lucky this day. We got lucky in the sense that none of our people were killed. It’s unfortunate that we had one fatality and they did everything they could to get to that person.”
FDNY fire marshals later determined that the fire was accidental, saying it involved the “ignition of flammable vapors associated with industrial-grade paint within a confined space.”
1 civilian dead, FDNY member critical
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, authorities confirmed that one civilian had died. He was identified as Xiaoyuan Li , a 57-year-old father and husband from Flushing , Queens, according to the New York Post.
Among those seriously injured was Fire Marshal Christopher Cuccaro, who was at one point listed in critical condition. The 46-year-old K-9 unit marshal was treated at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze and released a week later.
During the mayor’s press conference, Mamdani praised first responders for “running toward danger so others could escape” and urged New Yorkers to keep the victims and their families in their thoughts.
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