Photos of the huge blazeKEY POINTS:
Newlyweds Leanne and Grant Bradley are more concerned for those affected by the tragedy that cut their special day short than the disruption to their wedding reception on Saturday.
The pair were sitting in their Mustang wedding car awaiting a photo outside a church while their 76 guests mingled when a massive explosion nearby fatally injured Hamilton firefighter Derek Lovell and left seven of his colleagues badly hurt.
"It was a huge bang, I can't explain it," Mrs Bradley said. "It was like a bomb, a big bomb."
Guests ran from the reception at Gails of Tamahere about 200m towards the scene at Icepak Coolstores to help drag the injured firefighters from the building as the blasts continued.
Dinner was about to be served but guests were given five minutes to evacuate the building, with no time to take personal items that included cameras with precious photos, bags and the wedding presents.
Mrs Bradley said her brother Matt Reynolds and his father-in-law Neil Quinlan sprinted towards the burning building.
They were followed closely by her sister Melissa Tucker who, holding her high heels and bouquet and with her bridesmaid's dress hitched up, ran to the scene with her sons Jacob, 14, and Michael, 12.
Still stunned by the experience, Mrs Bradley told the Herald she was proud of the group.
She was more concerned about the wellbeing of firefighters and their families than the wedding disturbance.
"My wedding's the last of my worries at the moment. I haven't seen what my brother's seen. He's seen some pretty horrible stuff. They saved lives on my wedding day. It's amazing, but it's a tragedy."
Mr Reynolds, who entered the burning building to help remove one of the critically injured firefighters, said last night that there were many bystanders who undoubtedly risked their lives to help.
He was coping with the horrific experience by "keeping myself busy" and was going to work today. Mr Reynolds is also planning to visit the firefighters in hospital.
Mrs Bradley, 30, said she and Grant had been together for 10 years and had been planning their wedding for about a year.
"We actually didn't get the chance to eat our dinner," she said.
"But that's okay, it couldn't be helped. My parents and my in-laws took half the wedding party home. We partied in the garage and the band came.
"We got to have our first dance and wedding speeches and to cut our cake, but not many guests were there because we had to evacuate so fast and we didn't have time to tell everyone."
Ms Tucker and her sons were still shaking graphic images of the hurt firefighters from their minds yesterday. When they arrived, the building had buckled and firefighters were stumbling about with horrific burns.
