"There was just so much noise and commotion."
A family of four, including an 11-year-old boy and his teen brother, have been hospitalised after a huge explosion in Scotland destroyed two homes.
The blast took place at around 7.10pm on Monday in a housing estate in Ayr, South Ayrshire.
Aerial images show one house reduced to nothing but debris while the right side and roof of the house next door is caved in.
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The explosion landed the family members in different hospitals, where they are
said to be in serious condition.
A 43-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy are receiving treatment at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, while a 47-year-old man is at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
The 11-year-old boy was admitted to the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh.
Emergency services attended the scene last night and a number of homes were evacuated.
A neighbour, who works in the gas industry, told
the Daily Record of the "massive explosion" and how he saw nurses come running to help.
“I was standing at the back door, getting ready to take my dog out when I heard this massive explosion,” he said. “There were big white flashes which is what happens when there’s a large concentration of gas.
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“The back door flew open so I ran round to see what had happened and the place was just covered in debris. It’s quite a confined square where the properties are so an explosion like that just channelled the power all down into different streets.
“I was telling people to stay away. Someone was trying to get a water hose but you can’t do that.
“There’s quite a few nurses that live in this area because the hospital is close by so I saw them all come running to help. There’s also a first aider who ran across to try and help.
“There was just so much noise and commotion. You couldn’t really hear or tell if anyone was in there.”
Chief Inspector Derrick Johnston, area commander for South Ayrshire, said: "This is a complex incident and different agencies are working together to establish the full circumstances of what happened.
"Our thoughts are with the family and everyone in the local community affected by this. A joint investigation with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is being carried out."
