Two residents were injured and four cars destroyed by fire in an explosion that rocked a residential compound in Tianjin on Saturday during celebrations for the Lantern Festival, Xinhua News Agency reported.

A witness was quoted as saying that flames from a firework spread to the trunk of a car full of fireworks and firecrackers, which exploded.

The report said the explosion, at around 9 pm, injured two passerby and destroyed four cars.

Five other cars were also damaged and the windows of a residential building were shattered.

The two victims were sent to hospital.