This is part of the chilling first response to a cafe explosion that injured 20 people in Queensland yesterday with six in a critical condition.

Audio has been released detailing the horrified reactions of the fire crews who first responded to the devastating scene.

The first firefighter on scene describes the popular tourist stop, ‘Serves you Right Cafe’, as “well alight” on arriving at the scene where a 60-year-old driver lost control of his vehicle ploughing into the busy cafe.

The ute hit a gas bottle after crashing through the business’s back fence, causing an explosion to rip through the building.

“Confirming persons inside ... more gas cylinders inside ... car into the back of the cafe, all is well alight. Over,” the firefighter can be heard to say in radio correspondence published by Nine News.

A second firefighter can be heard to call for another truck to be sent from Atherton — 52km away — as the frightening severity of the situation becomes apparent.

Forensic officers remain on scene at the devastated Serves You Right Cafe in Ravenshoe. Pic: Brendan Radke Source: News Corp Australia

Forensic crews remain on scene at the cafe while six people, plus the 60-year-old driver, are fighting for their lives after the freak explosion that engulfed the business around midday Tuesday, police have conrimed.

A 37-year-old woman was flown to the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital on Tuesday night with burns to 80 per cent of her body, while a 56-year-old man remains in a critical condition at Townsville Hospital.

He’s also expected to be flown to the Royal Brisbane’s burns unit.

There were devastating scenes when the four-wheel drive ute ploughed into gas bottles during Tuesday’s lunchtime rush at the Serves You Right Cafe at Ravenshoe, southwest of Cairns, sparking an explosion and fire.

The blast was so powerful it blew out the eatery’s front windows and left the property gutted.

A nearby business owner described seeing a man’s skin melting as he fled for his life from the cafe, the Cairns Post reports.

“It just happened so quickly, within seconds virtually,” Ravenshoe Highland Bakery owner Edgar Griff said.

“A lot of these people as they were coming out of the shop were on fire. With the fire rescue bloke, his skin was just melting.”

The driver lost control of his four wheel drive utility and collided into the cafe. Pic: Brendan Radke Source: News Corp Australia

At least 18 people have been taken to hospitals in Cairns, Atherton, Innisfail, Townsville and Brisbane to be treated for burns.

The 11 women, six men and one girl range in age from 15 to 82. As well as the two critical patients, two women, aged 52 and 82, are in a serious condition.

The other 14 patients are in a stable condition.

Two of the victims were firefighters who were having lunch when the blast happened. One has burns to half his body, while the other has burns to 20 per cent.

Nearly half of those injured had just attended a fire safety training, the Cairns Post reports.

The couple who runs the cafe are overseas on holiday and face a heartbreaking journey home, with their adult daughter, 37, fighting for her life and their business in ruins.

The daughter remains in a critical condition in a Brisbane hospital with burns to 80 per cent of her body.

“The guy and his wife who own the cafe, who are lovely, lovely people having a well earned rest in Europe ... I guess they’ll be coming home because it’s their daughter,” a friend of the couple, Jane Rodwell, told the ABC.

Critical patients were flown to the hospital by Rescue Helicopters from the Serves You Right cafe fire at Ravenshoe Pic: Anna Rogers Source: News Corp Australia

A Cairns health district spokesman said some of the 14 patients in far north Queensland hospitals would be transferred to specialist units in Brisbane for further treatment.

“Extra resources have been deployed to our regional facilities and social work support has been made available at Cairns and Atherton hospitals,” he said.

Emergency Services Minister Jo-Ann Miller will visit the scene on Wednesday with local MP Shane Knuth.

“Obviously we’re all shattered, we’re all hurt by it,” Mr Knuth has told the ABC.

Police remain at the scene as investigations continue into the incident, which Tablelands Regional Council mayor Rosa Lee Long says has left the town in shock.

She says help will be on hand to help people deal with the trauma of the incident.

“Ravenshoe being a small community, everybody knows everybody,” she told the ABC.

“Even the fellow driving the vehicle that crashed into the gas bottle was a local fellow as well.” A police spokesman said he couldn’t confirm reports the driver crashed because he was having a heart attack.

Source : News.com.au 10th June 20015