Companies, directors sentenced over fatal coolstore fire

The Tamahere coolstore fire. Photo / Doug Sherring

Big fines and reparation bills were today handed down to two companies and a company director charged over last year's fatal Waikato coolstore fire.

Icepak Coolstore Ltd, its director Wayne Grattan, and Mobile Refrigeration Specialists (MRS) earlier pleaded guilty to breaches of health and safety regulations in relation to the explosion at the Icepak coolstore in Tamahere on the outskirts of Hamilton.

Hamilton Senior Station Officer Derek Lovell was killed and seven other firefighters were injured.

Judge Robert Spear fined Icepak a total of $37,200, Grattan $30,000 and MRS $56,000.

He also ordered Icepak to pay $95,000 reparation and MRS $175,000 reparation. Of that $60,000 will go to Mr Lovell's widow with amounts between $20,000 and $50,000 going to injured firefighters.

- NZPA