Five people have been injured – two critically – after a backyard heater exploded north of Newcastle overnight.
Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District and NSW Ambulance paramedics were called to a home on Carnouskie Way, Medowie, about 8.30pm (Saturday 20 July 2019), and found five people suffering serious burns.
A 50-year-old man, from Medowie, and a 42-year-old woman, from Corlette, sustained severe burns and were airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition.
Three men, two aged 39 and 54 from Medowie and a 40-year-old man from Raymond Terrace, were treated at the scene for serious burns to their bodies. They were taken by road ambulance to John Hunter Hospital.
Police have been told the diesel heater was being re-fuelled when the explosion occurred.
A crime scene was established, and witnesses are assisting police with inquiries.
