A man was about to set off for work when he was injured in a car explosion at a Perth retirement village.
Emergency services were called to the Parkland Villas lifestyle village in Marmion St in Booragoon at 6:15 on Wednesday morning.
A spokeswoman for Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) said the man, aged 45, was undergoing surgery for "blast injuries".
She said the man, who was a resident at the villas, was in a stable condition.
It is believed the explosion may have been triggered by a gas bottle.
Man was on his way to work
The injured man was a welder who was about to head to work.
His brother Ryan Hawke said he was about to get in his car, when a gas bottle in the tray exploded.
"He was just going to work and something's happened. I'm just in shock," he said.
The blast caused extensive damage, including to the car directly next to the ute — which was completely burnt — and smashed windows in nearby villas and cars.
Mr Hawke was shocked his brother survived.
"He's been thrown and he's currently in surgery," he said.
"I've been told his hands and face are pretty well burnt, and his back.
"The reason he's gone to RPH is because he's got broken bones and burns."
Bystanders doused flames with garden hoses
Murdoch Fire Station manager Malcolm Sullivan was on the scene.
"When we arrived, there were two cars on fire, there was a lot of bystanders with garden hoses," he said.
"Passers-by said there's debris on Marmion Street and there's a lot of smashed and broken windows in the complex — it was a fairly fierce explosion."
Village resident Di told 6PR radio fire services arrived quickly.
"I think it woke the whole village up, or pretty much, I thought something had landed on my roof," she said.
"A big boom, I was just getting dressed and went outside and saw the black smoke so I went for a little wander and yeah a car had certainly caught on fire and it just kept on exploding.
A spokesperson for St John ambulance said two elderly women were also treated on the scene for shock.
It took just under 15 minutes to extinguish the blaze.
DFES are investigating the cause of the incident.
Worksafe has also been contacted for comment.
