A man suffered serious burns to his face, arm and hands from a gas explosion in Mount Maunganui yesterday afternoon, June 4.

An explosion at a Mount Maunganui LPG supplier yesterday injured an employee when gas leaked from the cylinder filling area.

The explosion occurred at LPG suppling company Gas Pro on Newton Road about 3pm. Neighbouring businesses described it as 'massive”.
A St John spokesperson says the injured man was a 28-year-old Gas Pro employee from Tauranga with serious to moderate burns, requiring him to fly to Waikato Hospital.
'The LPG was leaking into an area where the cylinder filling takes place. The gas leaked around that area and was ignited by a heating source inside the office buildings,” says Tauranga Fire Service senior station officer Mark Keller.
A worker from a neighbouring plumbing company says small fragments fell from the roof of Gas Pro during the explosion.
'The force of the explosion blew out a lot of the windows,” says Mark.