KEY POINTS:
One of the six firemen injured in the Tamahere coolstore explosion is unaware the New Zealand public thinks he's a hero, says his wife.
Adrian Brown was on his first day of work in Hamilton last Saturday when the crew of Red Watch were called to Icepak Coolstores.
As the firefighters tried to contain the blaze, an explosion with the force of a terrorist bomb killed watch commander Senior Station Officer Derek Lovell and injured seven others in the crew.
Yesterday Mr Brown managed to attend Mr Lovell's funeral at Te Rapa Racecourse, along with most of his injured colleagues. But his gradual recovery has been hard for him and his family.
Speaking to the Weekend Herald at their Morrinsville home this week, his wife, Maria, said her husband was getting better but was still struggling to talk for long periods.
She said Mr Brown was completely unaware of the huge public interest in the injured firefighters and the fact that people thought he was a hero.
"We haven't picked up a newspaper or seen the news," she said.
Mrs Brown, who was with her sister who had just arrived from England, said she hoped her husband would be out of hospital next week.
Not all the firefighters have been so fortunate. Merv Neil was still in a critical condition in Middlemore Hospital, after undergoing more surgery last night. It is still not clear whether he will survive.
Early on in the service, it was mentioned that Mr Neil was having surgery and it was hoped he might be able to watch the ceremony at a later time.
Two of the firefighters attended the service heavily wrapped in bandages and still on their hospital beds with only their eyes and some burned skin visible.
Their hands and feet were also bandaged.
During the funeral, injured Red Watch crew member Dennis Wells stood to farewell his boss.
With burns to his face and bandages on his hand, spoke briefly at the service and made special mention of his boss' sense of humour.
"He was never a boss. We were mates."
As two firefighters were carried out of the service on their hospital beds to waiting ambulances, applause broke out when they were wheeled through the guard of honour of colleagues who had come from around the country.
One of the firefighters was wearing his Fire Service shirt over his bandages.
He managed to wave a bandaged hand to a clapping crowd as he was wheeled to the ambulance taking him back to Waikato Hospital.
Applause had erupted for the group earlier in the day from the crowds of onlookers who had emptied stores and cafes for a parade which brought the city to a standstill shortly before the service.
As Hamilton firefighters performed a haka, Mr Lovell's casket left Hamilton station on a 1938 Ford fire truck, leading his men for the final time in the convoy of emergency service vehicles.
The vintage truck was followed by fire engines carrying Mr Lovell's workmates and five ambulances, each carrying an injured fireman.
MOURNING WIDOW PAYS TRIBUTE TO HER HERO
Milli Lovell said Derek, her husband of seven years, was an ordinary man "with an extraordinary heart".
She paid tribute to those who had supported her from the horrifying moment when she heard about the fire that eventually claimed her husband's life.
And she thanked the hospital staff who did their best to save him.
"They told me his injuries were not survivable, but his heart kept pumping for so long."
In an emotional eulogy, Mrs Lovell said Derek was "born a rescuer".
"His mum, Barbara, told me a beautiful story about Derek when he was young, rescuing a little sparrow and nurturing it back to health.
"I guess I was his next bird."
Mrs Lovell said there was great sadness, but much to be thankful for.
