The Albany Department of General Services employee injured in an explosion at DGS headquarters on Aug. 4 has been identified as 47-year-old Anthony Hughes, who has worked for the city since 2006, according to the Civil Service Employees Association union.
Hughes rose through the ranks from a laborer to supervisor within the department. He suffered second- and third-degree burns over 30% of his body and remains in critical but stable condition at the burn unit at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse.
Jeffrey Hunt, president of the Supervisors, DGS Unit, was with Hughes in the immediate aftermath of the explosion.
“I immediately went to him, laid on the ground with him, tried to talk to him,” Hunt recalled. “I was amazed at how calm Anthony was. He was just laying there telling me his face was on fire, he couldn’t feel his lips… I would say humanity kicked in. You see somebody in trouble and distress, you don’t think twice.”
The union says that despite his injuries, Hughes is staying strong.
“He’s been awake. I’ve actually visited him,” Hunt said. “Obviously, it’s very difficult for him and his family, but overall, he’s definitely trying to be in good spirits.”
The union is now rallying around the Hughes family.
“People just think sometimes the union is just here when there’s trouble or disciplinary action,” said Shana Davis, president of CSEA Capital Region 4.
“We’ve done cards, collected money, our union president helped get them housing,” Hunt said. “Whatever we can do to make it not so stressful on the family.”
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the explosion.
“There’s a lot of speculation going on, and I wish it could end, because it does the families no justice,” Hunt said. “For everybody to keep speculating what happened. Nobody was there.”
The union says its focus remains simple: getting Hughes and Fire Battalion Chief Wayne Brennan home to their families.