Two men are fighting for their lives following an explosion in a backyard in Melbourne’s south-east.

A police spokeswoman said the men, both aged in their 20s, were ‘‘burying a cylinder or metal container of mixed chemicals’’ when the explosion occurred at the house on Currawong Grove, Cannons Creek.

A police officer at the scene of the Cannons Creek explosion this morning. Credit:Yvette Gray, 3AW

An Ambulance Victoria spokesman described the scene as horrific. Both men had to be placed into an induced coma at the scene because of critical injuries before being flown to Melbourne. At lunchtime today, both remained in a critical condition.

It's believed a 24-year-old Pakenham man had both his legs blown off in the blast.