Two men were injured when a gas cylinder tank exploded at a scrap yard Saturday afternoon in St. Paul.

The explosion in the 1400 block of Iglehart Avenue around 11:30 a.m. was heard blocks away, according to the St. Paul Fire Department.

Officials said the two men were cutting into the cylinder to be recycled. It's unclear what type of gas was in the cylinder. The Fire Department said debris from the explosion landed a block and a half away.

Both men were being treated at Regions Hospital.

According to emergency dispatch audio, first responders said a 40-year-old man suffered a traumatic "blast injury" to both hands. A 76-year-old man who was near the explosion was in stable condition.

Kim Hyatt