KEY POINTS:
The injured Hamilton firefighter who got out of his wheelchair to address the funeral service for his colleague Derek Lovell last Friday is out of hospital.
Dennis Wells, 51, was discharged from Waikato Hospital today, 12 days after he was admitted following the Icepak coolstore explosion and fire at Tamahere, on the southeast outskirts of Hamilton, which claimed the life of Mr Lovell and injured six of his colleagues.
Mr Wells received a standing ovation when he spoke at Mr Lovell's funeral six days ago with his hand bandaged and his face bearing the scars of the blast.
He is the second fireman to be released since the funeral. Alvan Walker, 35, was released on Sunday.
Four of their colleagues remain in hospital. Merv Neil, 43, is in South Auckland's Middlemore Hospital with severe burns to 71 per cent of his body. He is in a serious condition.
The other three, David Beanland, 36, Adrian Brown, 51, and Brian Halford, 37, remain in Waikato Hospital.
"They are all in a stable condition in their wards and are progressing well," a hospital spokeswoman said.
Cameron Grylls, 29, the other firefighter who attended the Icepak coolstore fire, suffered minor injuries and was not admitted to hospital.
Only Mr Neil was unable to attend Mr Lovell's funeral last Friday, though three who did were on stretchers and heavily bandaged.
A four person team of fire experts and investigators has been appointed to conduct an inquiry into the fire.
The Fire Service says there are about two or three possible causes for the fire.
- NZPA
