KEY POINTS:
Badly hurt Hamilton firefighter Merv Neil is showing slight signs of improvement as he battles serious burns in Auckland's Middlemore Hospital.
Mr Neil, 43, was critically injured when the Ice Pack coolstore in Tamahere on the outskirts of Hamilton exploded as he and other members of Red Watch investigated a fire call on April 6.
Mr Neil has been in a critical condition in the burns unit at Middlemore Hospital since the blast but Hamilton's assistant regional fire commander, Roy Breeze, said today he was improving.
"He is still in critical condition but there are signs of improvement."
Only one of the eight firefighters injured in the blast which killed Red Watch commander, Senior Station Officer Derek Lovell, had returned to work.
Mr Breeze said the others were still recovering from their injuries and treatment which included "broken ribs, skin grafts and all sorts of things".
"A lot of them are doing very well but some of them have still got a bit of a road to recovery to go yet."
Mr Breeze said the firefighters all had a very positive attitude which was helping them in their recovery.
He said they were under no pressure to return to work and the gaps in the rosters were being filled from other watches or from firefighters from other parts of the country who had wanted to go to Hamilton.
- NZPA
