New York|Investigators Look Into Staten Island Blasts That Killed Shipyard Worker

The family that owns the shipyard where two explosions killed one person and injured dozens of others on Friday said that a dock that was under construction had caught fire before the blasts.

Nadia Adam, the executive vice president of May Ship Repair Contracting Corporation, was at the scene on Saturday. She said the construction on the dock had been underway for nine months without incident.

She identified the person killed as a subcontractor who had worked with the company on multiple projects. He had a wife, a son and a daughter, Ms. Adam said.

The Fire Department and the Police Department were there on Saturday investigating the explosions, and the company was cooperating, Ms. Adam said.

Ms. Adam, who works alongside her father and brother, described May Ship Repair as a small, family-owned business that hires locally and has fewer than 50 employees. She said they were cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

“Safety is our first priority,” Ms. Adam said. “Understanding what happened is our first priority.”

Just before 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Ms. Adam was in her office at the shipyard when she was told there had been an explosion. The company called 911 and followed its safety protocol, she said.