TWO people have been rushed to hospital after a hotel kitchen explosion at Lake Macquarie.
Emergency services were called to Hillsborough Road about 11.30am.
An Fire and Rescue NSW statement said a man turned on the portable gas bottle to start a deep fryer when it exploded.
"The 40-year-old suffered serious burns to 40 per cent of his arms," the statement said.
"A second person received minor burns to their hands."
Cardiff and Charlestown fire crews raced to the site and rendered the area safe.
Both patients were rushed to the John Hunter Hospital by ambulance.
Paramedics also assessed two other people on the scene.