Two adults and two children have been taken to hospital after an explosion shook a South Ayrshire housing estate.

Local people reported hearing an explosion in the Kincaidston area of Ayr just after 19:00 on Monday.

Police said four homes were affected by the blast. Witnesses said at least one of the terraced homes was destroyed, with those on either side also damaged.

Scottish Gas Networks said they were ensuring the site around the “serious explosion” was made safe.

The area surrounding the explosion was evacuated, with two local rest centres set up to provide shelter to those that needed it.

Inquiries are ongoing to establish the cause of the explosion.

The fire service said nine appliances and specialist resources including an air ambulance had been sent to the scene.

A man who lives about 100m from the explosion site told the BBC his whole house shook with the force of the blast.

Kerr McCann was one of the first on the scene. He was arriving home when saw a “massive plume of fire” in the sky, over a few houses.

He said: “Immediately after I felt a big bang. I knew it was an explosion. I was in the army so I know what explosions are.

“I ran up, about a quarter of a mile away… There was fire in the back garden and pretty much in where the house was.

“The house was not where it was, it was scattered about the street.”

Mr McCann said he and other people who had run to help were removed from the area for their own safety shortly after.

He added: “The whole house has disappeared, the gable end of the other house is opened up and there’s cars with windows put in from the shrapnel.

“Passing the shop on the way back I heard people saying stuff came off the shelves from the explosion.”

Caroline Finnett lives in Kincaidston, and was playing bingo at a friend’s house when she heard a “massive bang”.

She heard sirens and saw smoke billowing, so made her way back home. Her street was littered with broken roof tiles.

She told BBC Scotland: “We walked up to where the house has been blown away, and it was horrendous – was like something from a movie set. It was overwhelming.

“The house’s gone.”

Ms Finnett then took hot food to the community centre where those affected are sheltering, and offered up her spare room to anyone who needed it.

It’s a serious situation and there’s a big emergency service response on the ground with police, fire brigade and ambulance.

One resident who lives nearby told me his whole house shook with the force of the blast – although his windows remained intact.

Another man I spoke to, a farmer, said he was 4km (2.5 miles) away but the explosion was so loud he thought it had happened on his doorstep.

You can see people gathering at Queen Margaret Academy, they don’t know much about what is happening and they don’t have much information so there is still a lot of confusion here tonight.

The community are rallying around to help those affected, some of whom look shocked. Food and drink supplies have been delivered to the school, to be given to the families who have had to leave their homes for the night.

But it is a major incident, there is a helicopter above us, roads closed off and people doing what they can to help those affected.

It’s a very fluid situation, and we’re waiting for further updates from the emergency services.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Four houses have been affected by the explosion.

“Two adults and two children have been taken to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock.

“A number of premises have been evacuated and two local rest centres have been set up to assist.

“Local road closures are in place and we would advise people to avoid the area at the present time.”

A spokesman for Scottish Gas Networks said: “At around 20:00 tonight we received a request to assist the emergency services following the reports of a serious explosion in Gorse Park, Ayr.

“Our engineers are currently assisting the emergency services to ensure the immediate vicinity is made safe in our role as the gas emergency service.”

Community appeals have been started for food and drink supplies for those staying at the rest centres.

Businesses have been offering meals and the nearby Sundrum holiday caravan park offered accommodation for anybody who needed it.

Glazing firms and several joiners pledged to help residents secure their properties.

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