Two women with burns to their face and upper bodies have been taken to hospital after a barbecue fire on Saturday at Heathcote.
Fire and Rescue crews from Sutherland and Engadine were called to a Bottle Forest Road home at 11am after reports of a gas fire.
A Fire and Rescue spokesman said the women had tried to disconnect a gas cylinder from the barbecue, causing a gas leak.
The gas was ignited by a pilot light in a nearby hot-water system.
A fireball erupted causing significant damage to a pergola and the back of the home.
One woman, 42, was airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital. She is in a critical but stable condition.
A second women, in her 40s and in a stable condition, was taken to St George Hospital.
