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Firefighters injured in a coolstore explosion in Hamilton which killed one of their colleagues have thanked the public for their generosity and support after receiving donations of almost $200,000.
The blast and fire at the Icepak coolstore in suburban Tamahere on April 5 killed senior station officer Derek Lovell and injured seven other firemen.
Merv Neil remains in a critical condition in the burns unit at Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland.
Today a cheque for $140,000, raised through public donations, was handed over at Hamilton Fire Station.
A further $50,000 had been raised in a separate appeal by the firefighters' union.
Cameron Grylls, one of the firefighters injured in the blast, thanked the public on behalf of his colleagues.
"I think we all appreciate at the moment that times are tough - petrol prices and tax and rates - and yet people gave freely out of their own pocket," he told Radio New Zealand.
"Just the support from the public in general has just been awesome, so I appreciate that."
Investigations into the cause of the explosion are continuing.
- NZPA
