Booragoon fire: Family devastated after man injured in car explosion loses an eye, could lose the other

The devastated brother of a man severely injured in a car explosion at a Booragoon lifestyle village says life will never be the same for his sibling who has lost an eye and could lose the other.

It is believed a gas bottle on the back of a ute exploded about 6am on Wednesday at Parkland Villas and burnt Curtis Hawke’s face and body, and broke several of his bones.

Ryan Hawke said his brother, who is still in an induced coma, lost one eye and could lose the other.

“Just looking to get to him where I can actually speak to him again and hold his hand, that’s all I need to do and I’ll be happy that he can actually start speaking to me even if he can’t see me, at least I can still speak to him,” he told 7NEWS.

“He’s just a big kid at heart...he’d do anything for you, he’s just such a giving guy.”

Mr Hawke said his brother had been staying at his mother’s home at the retirement village and it was when he went to leave for work that his car exploded, with CCTV capturing the bomb-like noise from hundreds of metres away.

Residents described hearing a “loud explosion” before rushing out to see two cars on fire.

The explosion was so powerful it shattered several windows of neighbouring homes and cars.

Speaking outside the home on Thursday, Mr Hawke said he was shocked his brother miraculously survived the explosion and fears he “would’ve lost my brother” if he was inside the car at the time.

Mr Hawke said his mum was one of the first people on the scene.

“(My mum) is in shock, she’s pretty bad. I just went in there and she didn’t even recognise me — she was pretty much asking me “who are you” and I was like “mum, it’s Ryan,” he said.

“I just didn’t think the explosion was as bad as it was. It’s trashed the car next door, it’s blown out windows in about five or six villas — it’s pretty bad.

“You don’t expect anything like this to happen to you. It happens to other people, it’s just unbelievable.”

WorkSafe are investigating.