One person has died and more than 30 people have been injured after an explosion on a barge at a Staten Island shipyard in New York City.

At least 34 people were hurt in the incident on Friday, including firefighters and first responders, officials said. The person who died was a civilian, the New York City Fire Department said.

The incident began with a report of workers trapped and a fire at around 15:30 local time (19:30 GMT). An explosion erupted roughly 50 minutes later, prompting additional emergency responders to deploy to the scene.

"This was a complex, fast-developing emergency situation," New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during a news conference on Friday evening.

Two workers were reportedly trapped in a confined space as the fire spread, Joanne Mariano with the fire department's press office said, according to the Associated Press.

When firefighters arrived, they located a fire in the basement of a metal structure at the dock.

It is not clear yet what caused the fire and explosion.

One fire marshal is in a critical condition and one firefighter is in a serious condition as of Friday evening, Mamdani.

Officials told US media that people in the area should expect traffic delays and road closures.