Coolstore firm admits guilt over fatal explosion

Icepak Coolstores has pleaded guilty to three charges following a fiery explosion at its Tamahere plant last year that killed a firefighter and injured several of his colleagues.

But the company's three directors each denied the individual charges against them.

Senior Station Officer Derek Lovell of Hamilton was fatally injured after he and other Red Watch members rushed to fight the blaze at the coolstore, 2km south of Hamilton, on April 5 last year.

Seven other firefighters were also injured by the massive blast, some of them seriously.

Icepak yesterday pleaded guilty in the Hamilton District Court to the charges laid under the Health and Safety in Employment Act.

The legislation sets out the duties of employers regarding the safety of employees and others in and around the workplace.

But its directors, Jan Van Eden, Iain Slight and Wayne Grattan, who face one charge each under the act, maintained their not guilty pleas.

Arnold Koppens, a Tamahere resident who helped to build the coolstore in 1979, said on hearing of the trio's pleas that he felt for the firefighters. "They will never get closure from this. They can't say too much but I'm sure they would love to."

Tauranga-based Mobile Refrigeration Specialists and its director Warren Cook also faced charges under the same act.

Mr Cook's lawyer entered no plea but said it was likely guilty pleas would be entered at another call-over on June 4.

A Fire Service report released nearly six months after the incident said that the eight firefighters did not know the coolstore used the highly flammable gas Hychill Minus 50 - which is 95 per cent propane - as a refrigerant.

It revealed there was no smell of gas before the devastating explosion and no signs warning that flammable gas was present.