Patrons celebrating the arrival of Christmas at a pub in the Jaya One Shopping Mall in Petaling Jaya were in for a shock when an explosion ripped through the kitchen at about 1.30am, Wednesday morning.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Mohamad Sani Harul said a patron and a worker in the pub suffered injuries to their bodies after being hit by shrapnel from the explosion.

Sani said both were receiving treatment at the University Malaya Medical Centre and reported in stable condition.

He said his department received a distress call at 1.50am and a fire engine and six fire fighters from the Section 7 station were deployed to the scene about 10 minutes later.

"Initial investigations showed that the explosion was due to leaking gas in the kitchen of the pub. The estimated damages are being investigated," he said.