A Newark firefighter injured while battling a blaze in December left a rehabilitation facility on Thursday while being heralded in a ceremony by fellow firefighters and friends.

Paul Leber, 38, checked out of Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation and returned home to continue his recovery, officials said. Firefighter, friends and officials lined the walkway outside the building as Leber exited the building.

The Board of Selectmen last week unanimously rejected, on the recommendation of a consultant, all three of the bids it received for the construction of a new 75-foot quintuple combination pumper firetruck.

Voters previously authorized the town to spend up to $850,000 for the firetruck. In October, the board rejected the three bids the town received because one was too high and the others didn’t meet the required specifications.