An explosion at Orewa College north of Auckland this afternoon left two workmen critically injured. It happened at about 3 pm this afternoon in one of the rooms that had been closed from last night.

Two men (Rick the senior groundsman was one of them) with critical injuries, suffering burns and head injuries, were helicoptered from school.

A third contractor was uninjured in the explosion...
All of the students which is about 1600, were evacuated but none were hurt. One yr 10 said the explosion as "extremely loud"...

The whole school shook, I felt the shake in my English class which is on the other side of the school. The roof of the room it was in lifted. Thick glass windows smashed completely to pieces.

Mr Quigley said there had been a "steam explosion in the boiler room which was being seen to by the 3 men. There had been a problem in our boiler room last night and the caretaker and a contractor were in the room doing maintenance.

Everyone heard a loud explosion and could see steam coming from the boiler room from on the other side of the school.

Three school staff had rushed to the aid of the injured while everyone else were evacuate.

Three fire engines from Silverdale and East Coast Bays attended, along with three ambulances, police and a Labor Department representative. Firefighters put out a fire, which was not major.
We were let out early, and the news spread fast around New Zealand about the explosion...

The school is closed tomorrow and possibly Friday.