On Saturday, 5 April 2008 a serious explosion and subsequent fire occurred at the Icepak Coolstores facility in Tamahere near Hamilton. The incident followed a routine response by two Hamilton fire crews to a smoke detector in an industrial building and resulted in the death of one firefighter and serious injury to seven others. The fire burnt for a week and the event attracted global interest as one of the world's most severe incidents involving hydrocarbon refrigerants. Other firefighters and locals who assisted the injured firefighters were recognised in an official ceremony in April 2010, when a memorial was unveiled to thank the local community for their bravery and community spirit.
The memorial is at the local community centre; because that's right by the local primary school, the cache has been placed by the former Icepak facility instead. An eerie spot.