Two men have been injured and thousands have been forced to evacuate after a barge caught fire during a New Year’s Eve fireworks display at Terrigal Beach, on the New South Wales central coast.

Police say two men operating the fireworks suffered minor injuries when the barge caught fire about 9:00pm, sending a large amount of fireworks into the air all at once.

Footage on social media shows the out of control fireworks, with people heard screaming and commenting that it “didn’t look like part of the show”.

Police say the two men were taken via ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The incident will be investigated by Safe Work NSW.