wo adults and two children have been taken to hospital after an explosion at a house in Ayr which caused severe damage, with the blast being heard for miles around.
Residents were evacuated from part of the Kincaidston area following the incident on Monday evening.
Social media users said they heard the explosion from miles away, while pictures shared online showed at least one house badly damaged with debris lying in the street.
Police Scotland said enquiries were continuing into the cause of the explosion.
In a statement, the force said four houses had been affected by the explosion, with “a number of premises evacuated” and two rest centres set up to assist.
Emergency services were called to the scene on Gorse Park at around 7.10pm, police said, adding that local road closures were in place and the public were advised to avoid the area.
“Two adults and two children have been taken to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock,” the force said.
Euan Bryson, who lives in the adjacent housing estate, tweeted a video showing a fire engine on a smoke-filled street in the aftermath of the explosion.
He said: “Was chaotic. There was personal property and rubble all over the scene.
“The video below doesn’t even do the smoke justice. Could scarcely make out peoples’ faces.”
“We dispatched a number of resources to the scene, including three specialist operations vehicles, six ambulances and an air ambulance.”
The gas distribution company SGN was helping emergency services.
A spokesman said: “Our engineers are currently assisting the emergency services to ensure the immediate vicinity is made safe in our role as the gas emergency service.”
The fire service said it was working to extinguish a fire at a house.
